Frank Lampard sacked by Chelsea with Tuchel on standby
The South West London club have confirmed Lampard's departure with many UK based media outlets suggesting that German coach Tuchel is set to be his replacement.
Chelsea have called time on Frank Lampard's tenure as manager. The former player took over as Chelsea head coach in 2019 and was under pressure following a string of recent disappointing results.
After a promising start to the Premier League season, Chelsea have slipped from third to eighth in the standings following two wins and five defeats in their last eight games to sit 11 points behind league leaders Manchester United with a fourth round FA Cup win this weekend deemed as insufficient to save the 42-year-olds fate.
Lampard was under the microscope after the club spent more than 200 million pounds ($272.90 million) to rebuild the squad in the close-season but the former Chelsea midfielder and their record scorer said the speculation about his future was only on social media.
CFC statement
The Stamford Bridge club issued a brief statement upon breaking the news of the dismissal: "This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the Board have taken lightly.
We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club. However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.
There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season".
Tuchel in the wings
The UK reports suggest that a replacement for Lampard is already lined up in the form of Thomas Tuchel. The German was recently replaced as PSG coach by Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea are set to face Atlético Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 in February.