New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly continued his departure from the club following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday. The head coach departed from west London just a year and three months after winning the Champions League title. Despite the recent victory, the problems between the two forces went beyond the results on the pitch.
Many on social media were shocked when news of Tuchel’s firing broke. Chelsea have struggled in the early stages of their current campaign. A demoralizing loss in their Champions League opener on Tuesday was the team’s third loss in seven games. However, it looks as if the wheels are already in motion to see off the German despite Dinamo Zagreb’s loss.
Thomas Tuchel’s stage at Chelsea: a detached person
The relationship between Boehly and Tuchel soured pretty quickly, according to The Athletic. Some of the more interesting revelations from the report from anonymous sources include:
1) Communication between Boehly and Tuchel apparently ceased following Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Leeds last month. This despite the fact that just two days before the Leeds coup, the German manager made headlines when he announced talks of a contract extension with the club.
“There are talks, but I think given the situation where we come from and where we are now, in the middle of the transfer period, I think it’s best if I focus on my team and be competitive,” Tuchel said. .
“You know how happy I am to be here and how much I like it. It’s a good thing.”
The German was fired less than three weeks later.
2) Along with the lousy losses and interesting press conferences, Tuchel also allegedly annoyed Boehly by skipping certain recruiting meetings. Instead, the head coach sent his agent in his place.
3) Transfer recruiting was also a source of tension between the two. Boehly previously called Tuchel a “nightmare” to deal with. The American owner wanted to pursue superstar Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, but Tuchel had other ideas.
Tuchel perhaps even saw the writing on the wall during the Marc Cucurella transfer discussions. The Blues were chasing the Brighton and Hove fullback for quite some time before his eventual transfer to Chelsea in early August. In conversations about the player, Boehly apparently spoke with a comprehensive understanding of Graham Potter’s managerial career. Potter is set to be named as Tuchel’s successor.
4) The Athletic reports that Tuchel did not initiate a single conversation with a first-team player for over a year, offering no guidance on how the player could return to his team each time he fell out of the starting eleven.
5) This summer, Tuchel employed “the unusual tactic of organizing two separate player meetings: one for those who wanted to stay and fight for the club, and one for those who were unsure of their future or intended to leave.”
Since Boehly bought Chelsea, several officials have resigned or been sacked. President Bruce Beck, director Marina Granovskaia and advisor Petr Cech have all recently left the club this summer. The decision to let the former goalkeeper icon go didn’t seem to sit well with Tuchel either.
Chelsea begin their post-Tuchel era with a trip to Fulham on Saturday.
Photo credit: IMAGO/Pixsell
