Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel 'splits from wife of 13 years' as divorce proceedings begin

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly separated from his wife of 13 years.

Tuchel's wife Sissi is believed to have started divorce proceedings last week, yet they both want an amicable split. Rumours suggest journalist Sissi may be entitled to a chunk of the Chelsea manager's future earnings after giving up a job at a German newspaper to help raise the family.

Sissi moved to the UK last August - around seven months after Tuchel was appointed by the Blues - and stayed in a hotel before they bought a family home in Cobham, Surrey. Chelsea's training ground is located in the area.

"Sissi and Thomas have tried to avoid splitting but in the end, there was no other way," a source told the Mail on Sunday. "It is very sad and now it is all about making sure their daughters are the top priority. Papers were lodged last week to get the divorce underway."

Tuchel and Sissi married in 2009 and have two daughters together. Sissi was seen hugging her husband at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto last May after Chelsea defeated Manchester City in the Champions League final, the crowning moment of Tuchel's career.

It's not been a great 24 hours for Tuchel. Chelsea suffered a humiliating 4-1 home defeat to west London rivals Brentford on Saturday afternoon, with former Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen inspiring the Bees to a famous Premier League victory.

"Nobody saw it coming, especially after going 1-0 ahead," Tuchel told BBC Sport at full-time. "It was very untypical of us. But we stopped defending. We were not aware of enough of the danger, were sloppy with the defending and got punished.

"They made the most of it in those 10 minutes. Right after their third goal we had 10 minutes where we had big, big chances and