Chelsea are searching for Thomas Tuchel's successor as manager after the German was sacked on Wednesday morning.
Graham Potter is set to hold talks with the Blues' ownership after being granted permission by Brighton to travel to London, football.london understands. Tuchel's dismissal was not a knee-jerk reaction to Chelsea's poor start to the new season after concerns had grown that Tuchel wasn't the right fit for the ownership group's long-term vision of the club.
The Blues were linked with a move for Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner revealed his intentions to leave Old Trafford before Deadline Day, but Tuchel blocked any move for Ronaldo after Todd Boehly had brought up the idea of signing the 37-year-old. Following the German manager's sacking, reports have suggested that Tuchel thought it was a 'waste of time' bringing up the idea of signing Ronaldo.
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It is thought that Thomas Tuchel’s strained relationship with co-owner Todd Boehly began when the pair clashed over Chelsea’s pursuit of Ronaldo in the summer transfer window, as per CBS Sports. The Blues spent more than any other Premier League club in the summer bringing in the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana.
Boehly was keen to begin his tenure as co-owner with a statement signing after completing a £4billion takeover of the club. The American met with agent Jorges Mendes after Ronaldo issued his intention to leave Old Trafford and explored the possibility of bringing the Portuguese superstar to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea allowed Romelu Lukaku to leave the club and return to Inter Milan on-loan, with Boehly feeling he could replace the Belgian with Ronaldo. Tuchel made his stance clear from the first discussion and blocked the move as he felt Ronaldo was a poor fit for the way he wanted his team to play.
The Blues ended up signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona on Deadline Day as the Gabonese striker reunited with his former boss after enjoying a successful period together at Borussia Dortmund. Tuchel’s decision to refuse to listen to Boehly’s suggestion caused a major strain between the pair, resulting in the German being sacked just four weeks into the new season.
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