Erik ten Hag takes a dig at former Chelsea coach by calling himself the "best manager"
Things have not been as sheeny as both parties would have hoped for when Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel in September of 2022.
The Blues moved on to Graham Potter in a bid to build a long-term project at the club although that didn’t work out and the Londoners moved on to Mauricio Pochettino last summer. It’s fair to say Thomas Tuchel hasn’t had a substantial time after his Chelsea sack. He was appointed as Bayern Munich’s manager since but is now scheduled to leave the German champions after less than two seasons in charge as they are set to lose out on the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.
With the intense pressure that Mauricio Pochettino faces at Stamford Bridge escorted by the incongruous time that Chelsea are having in the Premier League this season, Todd Boehly & Co. are already looking at the list of managerial replacements if the Argentine coach is to be relieved of his duties.
Arne Slot is one of the names that has been linked with a move to West London and a potential surprise return of Thomas Tuchel is not ruled out according to reports in Germany.
According to a report by SportBild, Thomas Tuchel prefers to return to the Premier League when he leaves Bayern with the 50-year-old keeping tabs on the situation at multiple English clubs. The report asserts that the German coach has identified Manchester United as a potential destination with Erik ten Hag walking on thin ice at Old Trafford.
Tuchel is said to be open to returning to Stamford Bridge if Todd Boehly is prepared to set aside previous differences that eventually led to his sacking. The former Dortmund manager described the relationship with Chelsea’s owners as intense before his sacking.
When speaking about his time at Chelsea a year back, the 50-year-old admitted it ‘still hurt’ to no longer be associated with the club.
‘It was a shock for all of us,’ Thomas Tuchel said.
‘We had the feeling we were in the right spot at the right time to achieve big things, to build, to stay longer. We had big relationships with the staff. It still hurts in a way to not see these people daily.
‘I love this job, I have the passion. There’s no funnier place than a dressing room; joy, good jokes. That is what I miss the most. We built an extraordinary bond because of the circumstances; we started during COVID, and Brexit, and then came the change of ownership. We were a strong group on the training ground. It felt like a family.’
Chelsea will have multiple options if they move on from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer. Roberto de Zerbi is one of the highly acclaimed coaches who could be on the move in the summer adding to Julian Nagelsmann. Though right now it should be about salvaging the season and making the most out of it, especially if the Blues can go deep into the FA Cup.
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