Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has reportedly admitted he made a mistake in sacking Thomas Tuchel and replacing him with Graham Potter earlier this season.
Tuchel was let go not long after Boehly and Behdad Eghbali arrived in West London, despite winning the Champions League after less than a year in command and showing loyalty to the club amid the Roman Abramovich crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League proved to be the final straw for the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund manager, who had also overseen only three wins in Chelsea’s first six Premier League games this season.
Boehly immediately realized that Tuchel was not the best guy for a long-term project at Stamford Bridge, so he brought in Graham Potter from Brighton & Hove Albion, but that decision swiftly backfired.
Potter led Chelsea to the Champions League quarterfinals, though he only won 12 of his 31 games in charge and dismissed after only seven months in charge.
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As the powers-that-be look for a permanent successor to take over for the 2023-24 season, Frank Lampard – who Tuchel replaced in 2021 – was coaxed back to Stamford Bridge in an interim position, but the 44-year-old has also failed to ignite an upturn in fortunes.
The Blues are said to be close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach, but according to the Daily Mail, Boehly has admitted that his decision to sack Tuchel was perhaps too hasty.
According to the report, Tuchel had no plans to stay at Chelsea for the long term, but the owners now believe it was worthwhile to retain the 49-year-old on the books for another full season.
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