Chelsea manager Frank has been sacked; Thomas Tuchel to replace him

Premier League side Chelsea has sacked its coach Frank Lampard after just 18 months at the job and is lining up former PSG boss Thomas Tuchel as a possible replacement.

The club released a statement stating “results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement”.

Thomas Tuchel has been available since leaving French side PSG in December after a public row with senior officials of the club over transfer activities. Tuchel was previously with German outfit, Borussia Dortmund before his PSG stint.

Tuchel, according to reports will be Chelsea‘s next head coach as plans are underway to appoint him before the game against Wolves on Wednesday. The German is the only candidate for the role.

Lampard enjoyed a good first season managing Chelsea Football Club, steering them to the FA Cup final and also securing qualification for the Champions League.

But his second season in charge of the Blues hasn’t been what the club’s hierarchy expects especially after handing him more than £200m to spend on new players in the summer.

Chelsea currently find themselves placed ninth in the Premier League after 19 games, 11 points behind leaders Manchester United and five points off Liverpool in fourth.

After taking the side on a 17-game unbeaten run, Lampard has since lost games away defeats to Everton, Wolves, Arsenal, and Leicester including a 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City.

In a statement, Abramovich said: “This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him.

“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances, we believe it is best to change managers.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

Chelsea wanted to bring in an interim manager but RB Leipzig’s former Head of Sport Ralf Rangnick turned down the opportunity.

Tuchel won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 with Dortmund and also won two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint Germain including a French Cup, as well as reaching the final of last season’s Champions League, which they lost to Bayern Munich.