In a very unexpected move, the Chelsea board sacked German manager Thomas Tuchel this Wednesday evening following yesterday’s Champions League defeat against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb (1-0). Reports coming out of London broke the news that left players and fans wondering why the board decided on this bold move so early in the season.
Summer Spending
One of the questions everybody surrounding the London club is asking is: Why did Chelsea sack their manager after pushing strongly this summer to please Thomas Tuchel requests for new players at the club to reinforce the squad? Chelsea was lacking crucial pieces on their roster, and the ‘blues’ made record breaking signings bringing in mayor talent in almost every line. Some of the names on this list include: English explosive forward Raheem Sterling, French defender Wesley Fofana, Senegal national Koulibaly, Spanish emerging talent Cucurella, and former fellow rival, experienced goal-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang. The Gabonese star even spoke to the media about his singing with the blues, praising his former Dortmund manager Tuchel, claiming to be very exited to be ‘reunited’ once again at the English club. That was a short reunion!
As of this writing the only official statement from the club, was a tweet indicating that the German manager will not continue to lead the ‘blues’. There hasn’t been a press conference regarding the sudden move, nor did the club state any ‘reason’ regarding Tuchel’s sacking. However, plenty of rumors are starting to emerge from the English media. One of the numerous stories that are flying around since the announcement is that Tuchel’s refusal to sign non other than mega star Cristiano Ronaldo, caused a mayor break in the already tense relationship between the manager and American owner Todd Boehly, who insisted on making a move to acquire Portuguese forward in the summer transfer window. Failure to do so may have caused irreparable damage between a ‘hot headed” Tuchel and the board. Of course this has not been confirmed, so we are taking this version with a grain of salt.
Undoubtedly yesterday’s defeat against a very limited team, and the slow start in the Premier League (6th place after 6 weeks) influenced the decision as well, but after one and a half seasons at the club with a Champions League win one can’t help but wonder: What else are we missing? After all, Tuchel was very well liked by the fans, since he stuck with them through highs and lows last season when the team was financially sanctioned and didn’t even have money to travel for matches. The German manager even told the media ‘If needed, I would drive the team bus myself” as a show his commitment and belief in his squad. His passion on the sidelines every match, and his utmost dedication earned him the love and respect of the fans at Stamford Bridge and all around the globe for ‘Blues’ supporters.
Manager for Hire
Chelsea have no time to waste since they have to make up for lost time and dropped points early in the season, and they still have to get their new signings up to speed with the club. So who’s is going to be the chosen one to lead this ambitious project going forward?
Since the news broke there have not been too many credible rumors suggesting who is going to be the successor of the German manager, but fans can help but wonder as this crucial decision could have major implications going forward. Particularly when the team is facing mildly complicated schedule, both in domestic and international competitions, Fulham (A), Red Bull Salzburg / CL (H), Liverpool (H). Many high profile managers that Chelsea is used to target are unavailable, and with the World Cup a few weeks away, there hasn’t been much movement in the managerial market as clubs and national teams already locked in their managers at least until the international tournament concludes.
We will have updates this week as soon as there are reports coming out of London. Both players and fans will surely be eager to find out who is taking over the reins in Stamford Bridge from this point forward.
* Update: Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter, has been given permission to speak to Chelsea about the position.
** Update: Chelsea will appoint Graham Potter as their new manager.
