Thomas Tuchel, the manager sacked by Chelsea this past week and replaced by Graham Potter, said he is “devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end”.
Writing on his social media accounts, the German, 49, said: “This is one of the most difficult statements I have ever had to write - and it is one which I hoped I would not need to do for many years.” The club’s chairman-owner, Todd Boehly, removed Tuchel of his position on Wednesday following Tuesday’s Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.
By Friday, Potter, the Brighton manager, had been installed in Tuchel’s place, his new club reported to have paid £21m in compensation for his services.
The suggestion from within Chelsea has been that Tuchel’s departure was decided before the trip to Croatia, despite Boehly rubber-stamping over £250m of transfer business in the summer.