Thomas Tuchel was sacked after Chelsea's 1-0 defeat by Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night; Chelsea have now appointed Brighton manager Graham Potter
Friday 9 September 2022 12:23, UK
Jamie Carragher says he fears for Graham Potter following Thomas Tuchel's "shock" sacking as Chelsea head coach.
Chelsea sacked Tuchel on Wednesday morning, a day after a shock 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and just six matches into the new Premier League season.
The club have now appointed Potter on a five-year deal, having also held discussions with Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane, who are both out of work.
Tuchel was sacked by Boehly during a face-to-face meeting just three months after completing his takeover of the club. Since becoming Chelsea's new owner, Boehly has moved on director Marina Granovskaia, chairman Bruce Buck and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech in a complete overhaul of the Roman Abramovich era.
Reacting to the news on Wednesday, Sky Sports pundit Carragher said: "It was a shock because I just thought the new regime at Chelsea would be different to Roman Abramovich. I said a few days ago if Abramovich was still in charge, you would fear for Thomas Tuchel because of what happened in the past with Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti - lots of great managers. But I did feel as if it might have been a different type of regime, so it's a huge shock.
"It hasn't been a great start, we get that, but Chelsea just felt like a team who needed the transfer window to end, get the squad that they wanted and then give a top-quality manager a chance, certainly over the next few weeks or months to put some sort of team together."
Chelsea invested a one-window Premier League record of £273m to revamp Tuchel's squad this summer, bringing in Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But Sky Sports News understands Chelsea have been considering this decision for some time and it is not a knee-jerk reaction to Tuesday's defeat to Dinamo Zagreb which co-owners Boehly and Behdad Eghbali both attended.
"We're talking six games into a season," Carragher said. "He bought Aubameyang who made his debut last night and Fofana's played two games, so the idea that this team's been put together with a lot of money spent - I understand that - pressure comes with that and Thomas Tuchel will understand that - but he was almost like a director of football a lot through the summer as well.
"He was heavily involved in bringing the players in, so he should have been given more time certainly, even just the next three games which takes them up to the international break. I don't know what the rush was right now. I think they should have waited to see if in the next three games there could have been a slight turnaround and upturn in performances and results.
"It was a big shock because I do think it is a new Chelsea team and the guy who has put it together - this is not a director of football - this is the manager who has put this squad together with the new owner, so he should have been given a lot more time to get this team working on the pitch."
Chelsea have now lured Potter away from Brighton, and although the 47-year-old is closely aligned with their vision for the club, but Carragher is not convinced.
"Chelsea are a very ruthless club and I'm not sure Potter is the right fit," he said. "Chelsea are saying they want to do things differently in the future in terms of having a coach in charge rather than a manager, or that they do things behind the scenes differently. But if I was Potter, I would find that very hard to believe.
"They've just got rid of a manager six games into the season. Of course, it's a huge step up in his managerial career and Chelsea are still one of the top clubs. They are still world champions right now, but you fear for Potter that he'll be in the same boat as every other Chelsea manager has for the last 10 years.
"Unless he gets results instantly they'll be getting themselves another new manager in 12 months. Maybe that will change with Potter, but if I was him on the back of what they've done with Tuchel, I'd be very wary.
"Sooner or later though, he will move on from Brighton because he's done a brilliant job there, everyone loves the football his team plays.
"I don't think he can turn this opportunity down, but I wouldn't be falling for 'Chelsea are going to do things differently in the future' if that comes up in discussions.
"If I was a Chelsea supporter and you asked me who I'd like to see manage my club, I'd go for Mauricio Pochettino."
Sky Sports Adam Smith:
The Blues splashed a record-breaking £278.4m in the summer transfer window on a host of new players - which heaped pressure on Tuchel from the get-go.
Additionally, question marks were raised over some of the fees paid on incomings, with Raheem Sterling arguably the only addition to have proven, sustained pedigree in the Premier League. Sterling cost less than prospects Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella.
A convincing performance against Tottenham last month warranted three points but triggered a flashpoint between Tuchel and Antonio Conte as the sides played out a heated 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, with the German later receiving a touchline ban for his antics.
A 3-0 defeat to Leeds followed as Jesse Marsch's men outplayed their opponents, and there was another shock defeat at Southampton a week later.
The Blues ranked third across all key statistics in the Premier League last season but are currently averaging mid-table across those very same metrics this term - hardly bang for their transfer buck.
The result in Zagreb proved the final blow for Tuchel, with the team - and, most notably, new signings and substitutes - producing poor displays in a dire start on Europe's grand stage.
September 10: Fulham (A) - kick-off 12.30pm
September 14: Red Bull Salzburg (H) - kick-off 8pm
September 18: Liverpool (H) - kick-off 4.30pm
October 1: Crystal Palace (A) - kick-off 3pm
October 5: AC Milan (H) - kick-off 8pm
