Chelsea: Thomas Tuchel replaces Frank Lampard as boss
Chelsea have appointed Thomas Tuchel as head coach on an 18-month deal after Frank Lampard was sacked with the club ninth in the Premier League table.
The former Borussia Dortmund and PSG boss will lead his first training session on Tuesday night, before taking charge of Wednesday’s home game with Wolves.
“I would like to thank Chelsea for their confidence in me and my staff,” said Tuchel.
“We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea. 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 won the Ligue 1 title twice during his time with PSG and guided them to their first Champions League final, losing to Bayern Munich last season. He was sacked earlier this term and replaced by former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.
His CV also includes success in both of France's domestic cups alongside lifting the DFB Pokal with Dortmund in 2017.
It has long been rumoured that the Blues were on the hunt for a manager who could speak German given the mixed form of star buys Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, and Tuchel, who comes from Bavaria, meets that criteria.
Owner Roman Abramovich is said to have been especially keen on bringing him to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were big spenders in the last transfer window, dishing out over £220million on Hakim Ziyech, Werner, Ben Chilwell, Havertz and Edouard Mendy. Despite that, they have failed to challenge any of the title favourites and have struggled against those in the top-six.
The Blues progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory over Luton on Sunday, but two wins in their last eight league games triggered the end for Lampard.
Confirmation of his departure came on Monday after the players were told not to report to the training ground until the afternoon.
Lampard, who made 648 appearances for Chelsea in a playing spell spanning 14 years, returned to west London on a three-year deal in the summer of 2019, but departed just 18 months into that contract.