FANS have slammed Chelsea’s “shabby” treatment of Thomas Tuchel as he opened up on his Blues sacking.
The German coach takes charge of Bayern Munich tomorrow against his former club Borussia Dortmund after signing a deal until 2025 with the Bundesliga giants.
AFPThomas Tuchel was brutally sacked by Chelsea back in September[/caption]
GettyThe German is now preparing to lead out Bayern Munich for the first time[/caption]
Tuchel, 49, guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, and also enjoyed domestic success with Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
He has been out of work since being sacked by new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in September – a decision which infuriated supporters at the time as he was replaced by Graham Potter.
Now he has revealed the true extent of how brutal his departure was from the West London club after losing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stages.
Tuchel, who also guided the Blues UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup success as well as reaching the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals last season, said: “It was a shock.
“I felt it, strangely, when I drove to the training centre. The meeting we had felt unusual – and it turned out to be a very short meeting. It was 8am, or something, and it lasted three to five minutes. I was also not in the mood to talk longer.
“The decision had been made and, honestly, it was a shock for all of us. We had a feeling that we were in the right spot at the right time. We felt that we could achieve big things and we wanted to stay longer – it was as simple as that.
“We had big relationships, huge relationships within the staff. We still do. How long did it take me to get over? It still hurts in a way – I’m not able to see these people on a daily basis. I love this job: I have a passion for it, I can tell you.
“We built an extraordinary bond in the circumstances. We started there during Covid, during Brexit – then came the change of ownership. We were a strong, strong group. It wasn’t in my hands to take this decision. I was no longer part of this group, a group that felt like a family.”
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When asked about rumours that he had lost the dressing-room, he replied: “I still have a good bond with the players. We still text, there are many messages. I have found many friends at the Chelsea training centre.
“This will not end because of a new job. It will be difficult to keep in touch and see each other but the friendships will stay.”
Upon reading the comments from Tuchel, Chelsea fans quickly took to Twitter to vent their fury at how he was treated.
One wrote: “Shabby way to treat him after all he won at the club. Now look at them. Glad he’s landed a massive job. Onwards.”
Another said: “The biggest mistake was ever in Chelsea history was the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.”
A fellow fan commented: “Biggest mistake of the Boehly era…so far. Much love Tuchs.”
As another tweeted: “We fumbled this one.”