Legendary English footballer Frank Lampard was sacked from his role as Chelsea manager on Monday. Tuchel, former Paris Saint-Germain manager, has been named as his replacement.
Lampard had been in charge at Stamford Bridge for only 18 months and he is leaving after suffering five defeats in his last eight games.
According to media reports, a verbal understanding was already in place between Tuchel and Chelsea for the last couple of days before the change in managerial role was made public.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s statement on Monday was quite unprecedented. Tuchel is expected to be appointed in the next 24 hours.
“This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,” Abramovich said.
“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.”
The Blues won 3-1 against Luton Town in the FA Cup on Sunday but the club’s Premier League form was only worsening under his watch.
The 42-year-old had helped Chelsea to a top four finish in the last Premier League season despite the fact that the club was under transfer ban. He got a lot of praise for such a good performance but things have gone upside down in the span of just one season.
“We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as head coach of the club,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“However, recent results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.”
Chelsea spent £220 in the summer transfer window on Lampard’s request, to acquire players like Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz among others. But the club still hasn’t got the desired results as they are currently placed at the ninth spot in the Premier League table, which is 11 points behind league leaders Manchester United.
Lampard now will be replaced by Tuchel, who won back to back Ligue 1 titles with PSG and then led them to the Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich. He has previously worked with Borussia Dortmund, Augsburg and Mainz as well, where he impressed everyone with his managerial skills.
