Chelsea fires Thomas Tuchel after slow start to season

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Chelsea’s new ownership fired manager Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning, the day after the powerful English soccer club’s latest disappointing result.

“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,” the team said in a statement.

“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach. There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”

The move comes after Chelsea lost to Dinamo Zagreb, 1-0, in a Champions League match Tuesday. That was Tuchel’s 100th match with the club, and it prompted him to say, “At the moment, everything is missing.”

Tuchel, who was hired in January 2021, won the Champions League in his first season but has seen the club drop points in three of its six league games this season. Pressure on Tuchel grew after a 3-0 loss to Leeds United on Aug. 21.

A former Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain manager who won three trophies in 20 months with Chelsea, Tuchel has been critical of his players and had been fined for his behavior this season.

He was involved in an unsightly disagreement with Tottenham Manager Antonio Conte after a draw between the Premier League rivals last month. They clashed in the technical area during the game, then went at it again during the traditional handshake after the final whistle. Pushing and shoving ensued, and although both were shown red cards, Tuchel was deemed “largely culpable” in an investigation by the Football Association. He was fined nearly $40,000 and suspended for one match.

American investor Todd Boehly, who owns stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks, led the Clearlake Capital consortium that bought the club in May in a deal worth more than $5 billion after Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The new owners oversaw a spending spree of more than $280 million on nine players in one transfer window, but ESPN reported that a rift developed between Boehly and Tuchel over the club’s transfer strategy as well as its lackluster start.

The Guardian reported Wednesday that Brighton Manager Graham Potter is believed to be Chelsea’s first choice to replace Tuchel, with former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino and former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane also under consideration.