“Got rid of the wrong man” – Liverpool legend accuses Chelsea of PR plot against Tuchel

Graeme Souness accuses Chelsea of doing a number on Thomas Tuchel

Speaking on Talksport radio (h/t Football.London), Liverpool legend Graeme Souness accuses Chelsea of doing a number on Thomas Tuchel and using the PR ploy to paint the owners in good light, while leaving the manager in waters.

Souness, who has managed multiple clubs in the Premier League, believes that the Blues have got rid of the wrong man by sacking Tuchel. He doesn’t buy into the fact that the stories and pictures coming out of Chelsea around this incident are all true.

The new American owners got rid of Tuchel last Wednesday, a day after the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. They appointed Graham Potter a day later and gave him a five-year contract, along with assurances of time.

Graeme Souness accuses Chelsea of doing a number on Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel following a poor start to the 2022/23 season. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Here’s what Souness has had to say about this issue (h/t Football.London):

They got rid of the wrong man. I would have kept him.

I don’t believe the stories coming out of Chelsea are anywhere near the full picture.  I think the PR at Chelsea have done a number on Tuchel to paint the new owners in a good light.

The former Rangers manager also went on to say that while he does not feel sorry for Tuchel, Chelsea could rue the decision of getting rid of him.

Strain in relationship

Since the sacking of Tuchel, there have been multiple stories coming out about how there was a strain in the relationship between the German and the Chelsea owners. It was mainly concerning transfers and the vision of the club.

It was revealed that co-owner Todd Boehly, who was working directly with Tuchel to make transfers in the summer window, wanted to make a statement by signing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager was not in favour of this move, a decision which did not go well with the Americans.

Recently, it has come out that the former Borussia Dortmund manager almost fell out with Boehly, when the former was not happy with the footballing knowledge of the latter.

Graeme Souness accuses Chelsea of doing a number on Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel’s relationship with Todd Boehly was not a healthy one.

Moreover, the delayed signature of Wesley Fofana meant the manager started the season with a shortage of defenders. Not only that, the former Leicester City defender was told by Boehly to undergo his medical in New York, which further delayed the move. This angered Tuchel more than anything else.

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So, while results in the opening few games of this season did not help the manager’s cause, the reason for sacking may not just be because of the on-field performances. One can see how this decision was made so early in the season by the owners. It remains to be seen whether this was the right move to make.