Salzburg opponents Chelsea fire coach Tuchel
“As the new ownership group marks 100 days since taking over the club and continues their hard work to move the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time for this transition,” the club said in a statement Now owned by a consortium led by US billionaire Todd Boehly. They wanted to contact Tuchel, whose contract still had a two-year term, but for his efforts and successes. “Thomas is rightly placed in Chelsea history having won the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time here.”
The 49-year-old is said to have heard reports in a short conference call on Wednesday that his request for a second chance had remained unfulfilled. The sudden separation came as a surprise, just a few weeks ago British media had speculated about an early contract extension with Tuchel.
Allegedly, the surprising expulsion is not a reaction to the defeat in Zagreb. The Telegraph reported that there had been tensions behind the scenes for some time. The relationship between the owners and Tuchel has cooled. Recently, Tuchel’s relationship with some players had also been tense, it said.
Tuchel deserves a lot of praise for remaining loyal to the club during the difficult phase. When the ex-owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned for his alleged closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chelsea did not allow any players, Tuchel ruled out an early departure. Subsequently, Boehly’s consortium took over the club. “It didn’t take long for the new owner to follow his predecessor’s policy and fire his coach in the first crisis of form,” commented football icon Gary Lineker.
Chelsea finished third in the league last season, also reached the FA Cup and League Cup finals, losing to Liverpool in each case. After six rounds of the new season, the club is sixth with ten points. Now a new one is to judge, Brighton coach Potter was expected to hold talks in London on Wednesday.