Thomas Tuchel has been appointed the new manager of Chelsea, as the German head coach took charge of his first training session just one day after Frank Lampard was fired.
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Lampard, Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer as a player, was fired after 18 months in charge as the Blues sit off the pace in the title and top four battle.
Tuchel, 47, has signed an 18-month contract (with the possibility of an extension as the club point out) at Chelsea and the former Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz head coach was delighted to be arriving in the Premier League.
“I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff. We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea,” Tuchel said. “At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football. I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!”
Tuchel will be in charge for their Premier League game against Wolves on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge (Watch live, 1pm ET on Peacock Premium).
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia had the following to say on Tuchel’s appointment.
“It is never easy to change head coach in the middle of the season but we are very happy to secure one of Europe’s best coaches in Thomas Tuchel. There is still much to play for and much to achieve, this season and beyond. We welcome Thomas to the club,” Granovskaia said.
What will Tuchel bring?
Tuchel was fired by Paris Saint-Germain in December but his quality as a coach is undoubted and he’s improved young players at Borussia Dortmund and PSG and that will be his main task here. He will also be tasked with improving Chelsea defensively and making them better tactically.
New signings and fellow Germans Kai Havertz and Timo Werner will be his main projects to work on.
Tuchel has long wanted a move to the Premier League and after he guided PSG to the UEFA Champions League final last season, this seemed like his natural next step.
How will the arrival of Tuchel at Chelsea impact Pulisic?
The first thing USMNT fans are thinking when they heard the news Frank Lampard was fired by Chelsea was this: ‘What does this mean for Christian Pulisic?’
Well, what does it mean?
In short, Pulisic may come out of this better than pretty much any other Chelsea player. In the statement to announce Tuchel, Chelsea mentioned Pulisic specifically as having previously worked with the German coach.
Pulisic, 22, was given his spot in the Borussia Dortmund starting lineup by the German coach and previously had this to say about the former Paris Saint-Germain coach.
“I’m just very thankful for everything [Tuchel] did for me,” Pulisic said in 2017 to Bundesliga.com. “Tuchel always just trusted me and gave me a chance. Of course he’s given me tips and feedback with what he sees every day in training and stuff like that, small things.”
In short, Tuchel has played a big role in Pulisic’s career so far and all signs point to him continuing to be a regular at Chelsea when Tuchel arrives.
Pulisic has been playing well this season but has only scored one goal in the Premier League and has grown increasingly frustrated in recent weeks as his finishing, like Chelsea’s other forwards, has been wayward.
Tuchel coming in to take charge of Chelsea could be a perfect situation for Pulisic.
