Tuchel has been out of work since leaving PSG
Thomas Tuchel has agreed to become Chelsea manager, replacing Frank Lampard who is set to be sacked by the club today.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Tuchel – who has been linked with the job for weeks and is said to be the first choice of club owner Roman Abramovich – will become manager this week.
Tuchel left Ligue 1 champions and last season’s Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain in December, leaving the club with the highest win percentage in French domestic history: 75.6 percent.
It’s understood that politics, rather than results, were the key reasons behind his sacking. Tuchel had spoken out in the past about feeling “[more like] a politician in sport” than a coach, comments which reportedly angered the club’s hierarchy, and in particular sporting director Leonardo.
Tuchel’s tactical acumen will no doubt appeal to a Chelsea hierarchy who have seen Lampard try and fail to implement any form of coherent style with his talented squad.
The German coach’s brand of fast-paced, attacking football has won plaudits from fans and pundits alike in the past, and with two of Chelsea’s most promising attackers – Werner and Havertz – being German, it’s hoped this link will help them progress in a way they have so far failed to under Lampard.
Chelsea sit ninth in the Premier League, with five defeats in their last eight league matches, and pressure is known to have been building on the club legend since a 3-1 defeat to struggling London rivals Arsenal.
Much was expected of Lampard after Chelsea backed him extensively during the summer transfer window, bringing in Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech to a squad which finished in the Champions League places last season.
