Thomas Tuchel was sacked as Chelsea manager after a run of three defeats in five matches, with the 1-0 defeat at Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League the final straw.
Todd Boehly, the club owner and interim sporting director, attracted attention in the transfer market for his erratic business and has moved to sack the German after exactly 100 days in charge of the west London club.
Tuchel had an exceptional record with a 62.6% win rate and memorably claimed the Champions League in 2021 but becomes the latest man out of the revolving door at Stamford Bridge, with Graham Potter the early favourite to take over.
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Who will replace Tuchel?
Graham Potter
The early favourite for the job and the man believed to be Boehly’s number one choice, Potter’s star has been steadily on the rise since the end of a mediocre playing career. An impressive seven-year spell in charge of Ostersund was followed by a season at Swansea and a 10th-placed finish which was enough to get him a job at Brighton thanks to his innovative approach and attractive style of football.
Since arriving at the Amex, Potter has impressed in getting the most out of a modest squad and steadily seen improvements, resulting in a stunning start to the 2022/23 season which has seen wins over West Ham and Manchester United, despite losing three key players in the transfer window, and constantly having to punch above their weight. He would cost them around £16 million to buy out of his contract.
Mauricio Pochettino
The former Spurs boss is currently unemployed after a spell with PSG came to a sour end in the summer, having become the latest in a long line of high profile managers to fail to deliver European glory. Pochettino was thought to be the front runner for the Manchester United job before Erik ten Hag was hired, and is known to be keen on a return to the Premier League.
He would have the charisma and status capable of handling the Stamford Bridge hotseat but could run into issues with Boehly over the running of the club, with the American keen to have close contact with his employee and ask them to have significant impact in the transfer market and beyond – something which Pochettino has not always done.
Zinedine Zidane
The France and Real Madrid legend has earned the right to be held in as high esteem for his managerial achievements as his playing achievements, after two spells in charge of Los Blancos which saw them win the Champions League on three successive occasions. Also a league champion twice, Zidane’s CV is good enough to demand any job but despite constantly being linked with the top roles, he is yet to really be a frontrunner.
Doubts over his real influence – especially tactically – on a Real Madrid team that included the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Karim Benzema and Luka Modrid, mean he is not held in as high regard as other top managers, and a move to a foreign league at this stage in his career appears unlikely.
Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers has links to Chelsea having held roles with the under-18s and reserve squads, and a move back to Stamford Bridge could suit all parties. However the current form of his Leicester side is a big black mark against his name, with the Foxes struggling at the bottom of the league and fans less than impressed with the manager that has led them to two top-five finishes.
Having also enjoyed good spells at Liverpool and Celtic, it previously appeared inevitable that Rodgers would be trusted to take on another job at a top-six club, but this one might just come at the wrong time. However his apparent habit of fading away at clubs after a promising start could see him do well at Chelsea, who tend to favour short-term appointments.
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