Former PSG boss Thomas Tuchel named new Chelsea manager | Football News

The 47-year-old former Paris St Germain coach replaces Lampard who was sacked this week.

Thomas Tuchel has become the latest manager to take over the Chelsea hot seat with the Premier League club confirming the German as Frank Lampard’s replacement on Tuesday.

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea on Monday – halfway through his second season in charge – after being unable to replicate his success as the club’s record scorer in his first Premier League managerial job.

Tuchel, the 47-year-old former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint Germain coach, has agreed to an 18-month contract with the option of another year, the west London club announced.

“I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff,” Tuchel, who met the players at Chelsea’s Cobham training headquarters, said in a statement.

“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’m grateful to be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!”

Chelsea Director Marina Granovskaia said while it was not easy to change coaches in the middle of the season, “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”, she added.

Tuchel has an impressive managerial CV, albeit mainly with PSG in a far less competitive league than England’s top flight. He delivered back-to-back French league titles and took them to last season’s Champions League final but was sacked and replaced by Mauricio Pochettino in December.

Lampard’s demise

Chelsea lost five of its last eight Premier League games and dropped to ninth despite Lampard spending nearly $300m on new players this season.

The former Chelsea player lacked managerial experience, having spent just one season at second-tier Derby County before answering the call to return to Stamford Bridge and replace Maurizio Sarri.

Lampard achieved Champions League qualification in his first season by securing a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.

Lampard scored 211 goals for Chelsea from 2001 to 2014, during which he won three Premier League titles and the Champions League [Richard Heathcote/Pool/EPA]

The 42-year-old is held in great affection by the Chelsea fans and was praised for handing eight academy graduates a first-team debut when he arrived in July 2019.

But after securing one of the biggest jobs in English football management so early in his career, Lampard leaves Stamford Bridge without any success, having lost the 2020 FA Cup final to Arsenal.