Frank
Lampard has been sacked by Chelsea after just 18 months as head coach and
will be replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
In a statement, Chelsea said "results and performances have not met the
club's expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to
sustained improvement".
Tuchel, who left PSG in December and previously managed Borussia Dortmund,
will be Chelsea's next head coach and plans are under way to appoint him
before the game against Wolves on Wednesday. The German is the only
candidate for the role.
Lampard, who is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, enjoyed a good first
season as Blues boss, taking them to the FA Cup final and securing
qualification for the Champions League.
But after being given more than £200m to spend on new players in the summer,
Chelsea find themselves ninth in the Premier League after 19 games, 11
points behind leaders Manchester United and five points off Liverpool in
fourth.
Lampard took the side on a 17-game unbeaten run but away defeats to Everton,
Wolves, Arsenal and Leicester and a 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City have
cost him his job.
In a statement, Abramovich said: "This was a very difficult decision for the
club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank
and I have the utmost respect for him.
"He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However,
under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.
"On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like
to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the
future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here
remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford
Bridge."
Chelsea had looked at bringing in an interim manager but RB Leipzig's former
Head of Sport Ralf Rangnick turned down the opportunity.
Tuchel won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 with Dortmund before a brief but
trophy-laden spell in Paris which saw him win two Ligue 1 titles and a
French Cup, as well as reaching the final of last season's Champions League,
which they lost to Bayern Munich.
Insight: Why Chelsea felt they had to act
now
Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol:
"Roman Abramovich's quotes on the sacking show just how much respect he has
for Frank Lampard. Abramovich has never previously commented on footballing
matters.
"The decision was difficult because it was Lampard, but easy because of what
was happening on the pitch.
"Lampard lost his job because the board were very concerned by results and
performances, especially the fact that he has the worst points per game
record of any manager in the Abramovich era.
"The board could not see a way for Lampard to reverse the negative direction
of travel.
"The board were very concerned about the lack of confidence, form and
momentum.
"Lampard was told at the start of the season that the target was to close
the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City and to be challenging at the top.
That has not happened so a change had to be made. The aim was not just to
finish in the top four.
"Chelsea felt they had no option but to make the change now in order to give
Thomas Tuchel as much time as possible to turn their season around.
"Tuchel is being appointed because he is the best man for the job - it has
nothing to do with him being German and nothing to do with trying to get the
best out of Werner, Havertz and Rudiger.
"Lampard was told this morning. As always, he took it like the ultimate
professional."
Analysis: Chelsea lose patience with the
Lampard project
Sky Sports' Pete Smith:
Those losses to Manchester City and Leicester mean Chelsea haven't won any
of the six games they've had against teams currently above them in the
table. It's a statistic that does not reflect well on a head coach who is
aiming to win respect for his tactical ability.
Nor did the constant team changes over recent weeks, which saw Antonio
Rudiger swiftly promoted from exile to first-choice centre back, Jorginho
suddenly return to midfield - and Lampard use no fewer than 17 combinations
in the front three across the Premier League and Champions League.
The goals conceded column, set-piece susceptibility, and wasteful finishing
continued to hold the team back, despite the expensive outlay, and Lampard
leaves the team ninth in the Premier League on 29 points. That's five places
and three points worse off than at the same point last season.
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