Todd Boehly and the new Chelsea ownership have made their first major decision since the end of the summer transfer window following the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel.
The 49-year-old was dismissed from the job by the new owners in a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday morning after a decision was made overnight after their 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
The club confirmed in a short statement: “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.
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“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.
“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”
It was a decision made not based on full footballing reasons, the new owners had doubts whether Tuchel was the man to lead the new era forward, as per reports.
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Chelsea were under-performing on the pitch, Tuchel made that clear in Croatia on Tuesday night when he said: “This is not what we want, this is not who we are. Individually and as a team simply not good enough.
“At the moment, everything is missing.”
As a replacement is looked for by the new owners, with Brighton’s Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino appearing to be the front-runners, the new owners have outlined their wishes from their next head coach.
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As revealed by Matt Law of The Telegraph, they want their next appointment to be somebody who is invested in their project and who the players expect to be in charge for many years.
They have made a formal approach to Brighton to speak to Potter and would have to pay around £10 million to buy him out of his contract down on the south coast.
Many players were left disgruntled with Tuchel and his ways in the end and now it’s time for change at Stamford Bridge on the touchline. A new ownership, a new look squad, and a new boss. It really is a new era at Chelsea.
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Chelsea are hoping to bring in a new manager before their game against Fulham on Saturday lunchtime, with the players due in at Cobham on Wednesday afternoon for training.
They are expected, as per reports, to be addressed by the owners over the decision to part ways with Tuchel so early on in the season.
Chelsea will be hoping it is a big decision which pays off, but who is next in the hot seat remains to be seen, for now.
Topics: Chelsea, Champions League, Thomas Tuchel