Thomas Tuchel left Cobham in a calm and mature manner on Wednesday morning after being told he was no longer the Chelsea head coach.
The 49-year-old’s reign came to an end after 19 months at Stamford Bridge after he was summoned into a 9.30am meeting by the owners at Cobham. Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali delivered the German the news.
By 10am, Tuchel was no longer Chelsea’s head coach, confirmation had been given through the club’s statement, which read: “Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel.
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“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.
"Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.
“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.
“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.
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“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”
Tuchel’s final game in charge came on his 100th match leading the Blues. They fell to a 1-0 defeat in Croatia on Tuesday evening in the Champions League to Dinamo Zagreb.
Why Chelsea decided to sack Thomas Tuchel despite £270 million transfer backing
A short flight home and an early wake up call to the Cobham training ground was the end for Tuchel at Chelsea having arrived back in January 2021.
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Jason Burt of The Telegraph has offered an insight into how Tuchel was brought to Cobham, what went down in the meeting and how the now former Chelsea head coach reacted before saying his goodbyes and departing.
With the decision to sack Tuchel regardless of the result in Zagreb, he was summoned in the early morning of Wednesday unaware of what was about to happen.
After being informed, Tuchel reacted calmly and maturely, no shouting or arguing, clearing his desk abruptly despite feeling a decision was taken too early by the owners.
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He accepted his fate and said his goodbyes to the start, with the players being notified via text ahead of coming in for training at 2pm.
Many of the players have thanked Tuchel for his contributions, including Raheem Sterling, Jorginho, Harvey Vale, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell and Reece James (as of writing).
Revealed: What Chelsea players thought of Thomas Tuchel after Blues opt to sack head coach
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With Tuchel now gone, it’s another major decision from the new owners. They have the next appointment in their own hands and Brighton’s Graham Potter is getting closer to succeeding Tuchel.
Talks have taken place and there is an openness from Potter to take the job as Chelsea showed willingness to pay the release clause to Brighton to land the 47-year-old’s services.
Tuchel’s efforts at Chelsea will never be forgotten. Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies, as well as guiding the club through turmoil and one of its most difficult periods.
He won’t be forgotten in west London, but the club now has to move on without him and look to the future under, what it looks like, Potter.
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea
Matthew Debono