This week marked Thomas Tuchel’s 100th game in charge of Chelsea, but it only took the club’s owners 100 days to decide that a new coach was necessary for their new era.
In many ways, Chelsea’s loss to Dinamo Zagreb, for which co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were present, highlighted a choice that would have been made regardless of the outcome.
During their review of their first 100 days as active owners, Boehly and Eghbali discussed their progress in establishing a new culture at Chelsea and the long-term prospects of Tuchel, who had done little to demonstrate that he wanted to take an active part in it.
He publicly proclaimed that he was in it for the long haul, saying before his trip to Croatia that he hoped “there will be another 100 [games], then another 100 coming.” Privately, however, there were serious reservations about his attitude and demeanour. And that ultimately proved to be his undoing, more so than Chelsea losing three straight away games or a string of drab performances.
Boehly and Eghbali’s initial plan had been to put their faith in Tuchel. He was given greater control in the transfer market and backed with more responsibility than any coach had enjoyed under previous owner Roman Abramovich. But 100 days of working together raised doubts over whether the relationship could be one for the long term.
Spending nearly £300 million during the transfer window and giving Tuchel the freedom to sign any player, particularly Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was signed on the final day of the window with Tuchel’s name on it, proved to be a red light with recent game losses.
With the 49-year-old German gone, it is gathered that the new temporary manager is expected to be Anthony Barry, the 36-year-old current first-team coach. The club will likely move fast in their bid to make a new permanent signing.
