DBasia.news – Chelsea made a surprisingly big decision at the start of the 2022-2023 season. Starting a new era under the ownership of Todd Boehly, he carried out a revolution and one of the victims of his revolution was Thomas Tuchel.
As of Wednesday (07/09) afternoon WIB, Chelsea decided to dismissed 49-year-old German coach, Thomas Tuchel. The 0-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League seemed to convince Chelsea management to sack Tuchel.
“Chelsea Football Club has today parted ways with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel,” said a statement on Chelsea’s official website.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to express its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club. Thomas will have a place in Chelsea’s history having won the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time here.”
“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as they continue to work hard to take the club forward, the new owners believe this is the right time to make this transition.”
“Chelsea’s coaching staff will be responsible for the team’s training and preparation for our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach. There will be no further comment until the appointment of a new head coach is made.”
Thomas Tuchel has been in charge of Chelsea since January 2021 having previously coached Borussia Dortmund and PSG. Tuchel won the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup.
The club is temporarily coached by Anthony Barry until a new coach is appointed. Judging from various sources, here are the potential replacements for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea:
1. Graham Potter
The 47-year-old coach has been in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion since 2019. Through Brighton’s performances on the pitch, Graham Potter’s reputation is well-known in England: Brighton entertained the crowd with his fast and efficient play.
According to football observer, Guillem Balague, Potter has a buyout clause of 16 million pounds and is Boehly’s main target. The former coach of Ostersund and Swansea City has been a priority for Tuchel’s replacement so far.
2. Mauricio Pochettino
Not currently coaching a club and is another candidate option. Mauricio Pochettino (50 years old) has experience coaching in the Premier League, with Southampton (2013-2014) and Tottenham Hotspur (2014-2019).
Pochettino also has experience coaching Espanyol and PSG. Returning to the Premier League will be a new challenge for him, especially coaching Chelsea who on paper have a good squad quality.
3. Zinedine Zidane
After coaching Real Madrid in the second period in 2019-2021, Zinedine Zidane no longer coaches the club or national team. But Zidane was linked and plotted as Didier Deschamps’ successor in the French national team, after the 2022 World Cup.
Zidane’s coaching career is new and doesn’t possess a ton of experience, but the fact that he won three Champions Leagues in a row at Madrid will always be a consideration that is taken into account in his resume.
4. Roger Schmidt
Another name that is considered and also from Germany. Roger Schmidt is rich in experience having coached RB Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Beijing Guoan, PSV Eindhoven and now with Benfica.
Schmidt (55 years old) only started coaching Benfica in May 2022 and it was quite challenging to see him leave. Schmidt is also famous for his gegenpress football, even in the past he was famous for asking his team to deliberately play defensively in order to press and immediately launch a counter-attack.
5. Joachim Low
Not currently coaching after leaving the German national team in 2021 having coached since 2006. Joachim Low (62 years old) is well known as the national team coach, but he also has experience coaching clubs such as Stuttgart, Fenerbahce, Karlsruher and Austria Wien.
Joachim Low could be a cheap option and solution for Chelsea, even though he is not a favored option. One other name that is also familiar with Chelsea is Guus Hiddink.