Chelsea appoint Thomas Tuchel as new head coach

Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea.

The German was confirmed on Tuesday as the successor to Frank Lampard, who was sacked on Monday. The club said Tuchel had signed an 18-month contract “with the possibility of an extension”.

Chelsea also confirmed that Tuchel would take charge of his first training session on Tuesday evening and will be in the Stamford Bridge dugout for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Wolves.

“I would like to thank Chelsea FC for their confidence in me and my staff,” Tuchel told the club website.

“We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea. At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football.

“I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!”

Tuchel was available after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, where he won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and reached last season’s Champions League final before being replaced by ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

He won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 with Dortmund before his spell with PSG, in which the French club narrowly missed out on the top prize in European football when they were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich last summer.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “It is never easy to change head coach in the middle of the season but we are very happy to secure one of Europe’s best coaches in Thomas Tuchel.

“There is still much to play for and much to achieve, this season and beyond. We welcome Thomas to the club.”

Lampard, who is Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, took the Blues to the FA Cup final and secured qualification for the Champions League in what was deemed a largely successful first campaign in charge at Stamford Bridge.

But after spending more than £200m on new players in the summer, Chelsea find themselves in midtable in the Premier League and in danger of missing out on qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Source: Skyy Sports