Thomas Tuchel has a new role at Chelsea following the departures of Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia this summer, which has seen him take on a more hands-on role both on and off the pitch.
Chelsea confirmed both Cech and Granovskaia would be leaving last month following the ownership change that has seen the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium buy the club.
Tuchel was close to the pair, a trio that worked together, a relationship that the Chelsea head coach enjoyed since his arrival in January 2021.
Despite the German wanting them to remain, it has all changed at Chelsea and they are no longer at the club in their Advisory and Director roles, respectively.
Advert
It has seen Tuchel be given a bigger role in decision making, with co-owner Todd Boehly giving him full control over the transfer business.
Raheem Sterling was the first of that backing after his £50 million arrival from Manchester City, which came to the delight of both Tuchel and Boehly.
Tuchel said: “It was the number one priority and we are very excited and super happy that we could make it happen.
"He's a big improvement to our squad and is exactly what we were looking for in terms of age, experience, and style of play."
Meanwhile, Boehly added: "Raheem Sterling is a serial winner and his signing is an important step in strengthening our squad.
Advert
"We are delighted for Raheem to return to London with Chelsea, and we look forward to seeing his world-class talent on display at Stamford Bridge."
With Tuchel having more of a say, he has recognised he needs to step up following a “very intense” and “very close” relationship with the new owners.
He told BBC Sport: "The relationship (with the owners) is very intense, very close, which it has to be - because without Petr and without Marina, it's a big change in the daily structure and communication.
"I'm a lot more involved. I have to step up in terms of responsibility.
Advert
"I think in the long term or even when the close of the pre-season comes, I will want to be more on the coaching role again.
"But right now it's important to improve our team, to bring players in to stay competitive because we want to compete for a minimum of top four.
"Given the fact that Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United act on the transfer market for weeks and months, we need to be smart, we need to be fast and we need to find solutions. It's my job to help."
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea, Todd Boehly
Matthew Debono