Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was straight-faced as he was snapped arriving at the club’s Cobham training ground just hours after pulling the trigger on Thomas Tuchel‘s reign.
The German’s reign came to an end early on Wednesday morning following the Blues’ abysmal 1-0 defeat to Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Boehly’s decision was made before Chelsea’s embarrassing defeat in Croatia but it was still far from business as usual for the American, who was driven into the training ground for crunch talks with the playing staff Tuchel has left behind.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was straight-faced as he was snapped arriving at the club’s Cobham training ground
Boehly was followed into the training ground by Kai Havertz, who scored the final goal of Thomas Tuchel’s reign as boss
Left-back Ben Chilwell also scored for the Blues in Tuchel’s final Premier League game in charge in win against Hammers
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta was also stern-faced as he made it into the Cobham training ground on Wednesday
Summer signing Raheem Sterling was also glum as Blues began their preparations for the short trip away to rivals Fulham
Boehly – who made the decision on the 100th day into his reign since replacing Roman Abramovich – was followed into the training ground by Kai Havertz, who scored the final goal of his compatriot’s tenure in the weekend’s controversial 2-1 win against West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Ben Chilwell – who scored the first Blues goal against the Hammers – also put on a glum face, while academy products Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were also spotted arriving.
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and summer signing Raheem Sterling were also stern-faced as they began their preparations for the short trip away to west London rivals Fulham on Saturday.
Fellow summer arrivals Carney Chukwuemeka and Wesley Fofana from Aston Villa and Chelsea similarly did not afford themselves a smile, with the latter’s unhappiness likely linked to his Instagram post, after he became the first Blues player to post about Tuchel’s dramatic sacking.
Fofana only completed his £75m move to the club last week, after Chelsea’s elongated summer pursuit of the former Leicester City centre-back, of which Tuchel was a key driving force behind.
Chelsea academy product Trevoh Chalobah was also spotted arriving into Cobham following the German’s dismissal
Carney Chukwuemeka did not spend much time under Tuchel having only joined in the summer window from Aston Villa
Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek too looked glum as he prepares to face his former club on Saturday at Craven Cottage
Wesley Fofana is another high-profile summer signing who now has to continue his Blues career under a different manager
He made his debut for Chelsea on Saturday and also featured in last night’s defeat, but was arguably at fault for Mislav Orsic’s winner.
The Frenchman posted a photo on his Instagram story of himself and Tuchel embracing, suggesting his sadness at the German’s dismissal.
Chelsea lie in sixth in the Premier League and have lost their past three away games in all competitions.
The club released a statement on their website announcing Tuchel’s dismissal, which read: ‘On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.
‘Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.
French defender Fofana became the first Chelsea player to post about Tuchel’s sacking by the west London side
‘As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.’
Tuchel leaves having guided Chelsea to UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup glory.
Tuchel arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2021 to replace Frank Lampard and hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in six months.
Last season Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals, only to lose to Liverpool on both occasions. They also finished third in the Premier League.
Chelsea lie in sixth in the Premier League and have lost the last three away games in all competitions under Tuchel
Brighton have given Chelsea permission to discuss their newly vacant managerial position with Graham Potter
Chelsea have paid £15million to get rid of Tuchel – with £13million going to the German and £2million to his backroom staff.
The Blues have permission to speak to Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter as they look to persuade their No 1 choice to be in place by Saturday.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is also high on Chelsea’s list of candidates.
Relationships with stars deteriorated, he was unhappy at having such a big say on transfers… and Todd Boehly was ‘not happy taking a “no” on signing Cristiano Ronaldo’: How Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea reign fell in
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea reign fell apart after his relationships with players deteriorated, frustration over transfer business and not fitting in with the new ownership’s project.
The German has been sacked just three months after the Todd Boehly-led consortium formally completed the takeover of Chelsea.
The Blues suffered an abysmal 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group-stages last night in his 100th match in charge, which has seen the Blues take action.
It was, however, not to do so much with results and more the fact of deteriorating relationships with star players at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel’s relationship with his players deteriorated over time and performances have massively nose-dived this season
Co-Owner Todd Boehly was ‘not happy taking a ‘no’ on signing Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured) from Manchester United
Tuchel also made it clear that he did not enjoy the extra responsibility he was given in the transfer window after Boehly handed him more power and a greater say on Chelsea’s business.
Not only that, Boehly’s interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo provided an early difference of opinion, with the American reluctant to simply take ‘no’ for an answer from Tuchel, who, according to the Telegraph, seemed exasperated at having to explain his reasons for not wanting the Portuguese superstar.
Crucially, the owners want a coach they can invest in for the future and who they believe is prepared to make an equal commitment.
The first 100 days with Tuchel did not offer enough encouragement that he would relish their style or help create the culture they want to breed.
The boss recently also reiterated his disappointment that former technical and performance advisor Petr Cech left Stamford Bridge following the takeover.
The boss has often brought players back into the team from the cold, including Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech
After the summer rebuild and a poor start to the new season, which sees Chelsea sitting sixth in the Premier League, it has been claimed that Tuchel’s relationship with a number of Chelsea’s squad has deteriorated.
His team selections have caused surprise and, at times, frustration among players who felt they have been unfairly left out or played out of position. That appeared to be evident in Zagreb
The boss has been bringing players back into from the cold before dropping them again regularly, including wantaway stars Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
Ziyech started the defeat to Southampton, despite the fact he had been trying to negotiate a move out of Chelsea, with Pulisic taking his place in the following game against West Ham United.
Tuchel hit the ground running by winning the Champions League in his first six months after beating Man City in the final
Ziyech did not look like a man trying to do his head coach any favours when he was thrown on at half-time in Zagreb.
It appears to have been a deeper-rooted issue as the performances have got worse over time and in his last 50 games they have conceded 53 goals, a sign of the breakdown defensively which is hampering their trophy prospects.
Therefore Tuchel’s legacy has drastically collapsed since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2021 to replace Frank Lampard, when he hit the ground running by winning the Champions League within his first six months.
The 49-year-old’s departure will no doubt put pressure on Boehly, given his popularity among the Blues supporters following the 2021 Champions League success.