Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton believes Thomas Tuchel’s tenure at Stamford Bridge will “end in tears”.
The Blues sacked Frank Lampard on Monday with the club 11 points adrift of top spot in the Premier League at the midway point of the campaign.
Tuchel is widely expected to succeed Lampard in the Stamford Bridge dugout, with Chelsea (opens in new tab) hoping to have him in place in time for Wednesday’s meeting with Wolves (opens in new tab).
The former Borussia Dortmund (opens in new tab) and Paris Saint-Germain (opens in new tab) head coach will be Chelsea’s 13th manager since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
And Sutton, who played for Chelsea in the 1999/00 season, says he is not surprised that Abramovich has made another change.
“Chelsea sacked Roberto Di Matteo six months after he delivered them the Holy Grail of the Champions League,” he told the Daily Mail (opens in new tab).
“They sacked Carlo Ancelotti in a Goodison Park corridor having finished second in the Premier League, a year after he delivered them the Double.
“Now they’ve sacked Frank Lampard after one sticky spell. This is the most ruthless of ruthless clubs.
“It is 52 days since Chelsea were top of the Premier League on December 5, and 49 days since they made it 17 games unbeaten in all competitions on December 8.
“In that time, owner Roman Abramovich has come to the conclusion that Lampard isn’t up to it. It’s short-termism in the extreme. Lampard spoke about a ‘nice air of positivity’ after beating Luton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
“Now he becomes the latest victim of Chelsea’s Russian roulette. Abramovich put a personal touch on the club statement, which was nice and something he’s never done for another manager, but ultimately he’s still giving Lampard the boot.
“Thomas Tuchel is on his way and you expect that will end in tears. Tuchel isn’t a yes man. He’s fallen out with his past employers.
“His appointment tells us a lot about Abramovich’s mindset. Chelsea’s owner isn’t bothered about building — it’s about winning and finding the fastest route to that.
“He doesn’t mind hiring Tuchel and firing him in 18 months, so long as the German delivers a big trophy or two. That’s the Abramovich way.”
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