Emotional words to Chelsea: Thomas Tuchel: "I'm devastated"

Thomas Tuchel does not succeed in starting the season with Chelsea.

Emotional words to Chelsea: Thomas Tuchel: "I'm devastated"

Thomas Tuchel does not succeed in starting the season with Chelsea. Nevertheless, the coach's expulsion from the Premier League giants comes as a surprise. A few days after his end with the “Blues”, the coach now speaks up emotionally.

The 0-1 defeat against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League was one too many. Coach Thomas Tuchel was dismissed after his Chelsea FC failed to start the new season in the premier class. Despite a bumpy start in the Premier League, the decision by the new owners of the "Blues" last Wednesday came as a surprise. Whilst the club quickly sought a successor and found him in Brighton's Graham Potter

"This is one of the hardest statements I've ever had to write - and I hoped I wouldn't have to do it for many years," he wrote in a lengthy statement on Twitter, admitting, "I'm devastated that my time ended at Chelsea." He felt at home both professionally and personally. "Thank you to all the staff, the players and the fans who made me feel welcome from the start," he wrote. "The pride and joy I felt in helping the team win the Champions League and the Club World Cup will always stay with me." He feels honored to have been part of the story. "The memories of the last 19 months will always have a special place in my heart from the start."

Tuchel was fired exactly 100 days after the takeover by the new owner Todd Boehly. As a reason, a statement from the club said briefly and succinctly: It was “the right time for this change”. However, Tuchel will "rightly have his place in Chelsea history". After the sacking, the British media speculated that he was not an immediate reaction to the defeat against Zagreb. Accordingly, the new owners had been flirting with the step for a long time. A few weeks ago there was speculation about an early contract extension. The Telegraph newspaper reported that there had been tensions behind the scenes for some time. Among other things, because of the apparently planned transfer of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tuchel's contract was valid until the summer of 2024. He was popular with the fans of the "Blues". The German earned a lot of praise for remaining loyal to the club during the difficult phase. When the ex-owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned for his alleged closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chelsea were not allowed to sign any players, Tuchel ruled out an early departure. Eventually, Boehly's consortium took over the club.

(This article was first published on Sunday, September 11, 2022.)