In a surprise move, Chelsea fired their manager Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday morning. Their first game for the Blues in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage ended in a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb, and new owner Todd Boehly decided to give the German coach the boot.
The club announced the news this week, shocking soccer fans all around the globe. Exactly then, why did the Stamford Bridge outfit decide to release Tuchel? Well, despite the team spending an unprecedented amount of money in the transfer market, the new 2022-23 season has not gotten off to a good start.
As a consequence of their erratic play thus far in the Premier League, Chelsea have only amassed 10 points in six games and find themselves outside of the top four teams. However, the reasons for Tuchel's axe appear to go much beyond his play on the field.
How Cristiano Ronaldo indirectly influenced Thomas Tuchel's axe from Chelsea
With Cristiano Ronaldo at the center of the controversy, things behind the scenes between the former Chelsea manager and new Blues owner Todd Boehly had worsened significantly. It's been said that the pair had some differences of opinion on CR7 and the transfer window.
Due to the club's failure to make the UEFA Champions League, the Manchester United striker has made it clear that he wants to leave Old Trafford. The Portuguese superstar wanted nothing more than to play in the top-tier European competition, and a transfer to West London looked to be in the works.
Since this was the American businessman's first summer as owner, he was eager to make a splash by bringing in a star player, and he thought the 37-year-old forward would be ideal. The 'global marketability' of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was another factor that made him an attractive option.
However, it was non else but Tuchel who was not convinced and advocated for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a player he had worked with before at Borussia Dortmund, The Telegraph suggested. Meanwhile, Christian Falk of German BILD claims that a stirred-up Tuchel spoke some unflattering things about Ronaldo. When asked about the Manchester United ace, the German allegedly said, "He would kill the morale in my dressing room."