Chelsea Fires Frank Lampard; Thomas Tuchel Reportedly to Be Named Replacement

Chelsea announced the firing of manager Frank Lampard on Monday, with former Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel reportedly set to take over the struggling Premier League club.

"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," owner Roman Abramovich said. He continued:

"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."

James Olley of ESPN reported that Tuchel, who was fired by PSG in December, has been tabbed as Lampard's replacement.

Lampard went 44-25-15 during his run as Chelsea manager, including a 28-18-11 mark during Premier League play. The Blues have lost five of their past eight Premier League matches, dropping them to ninth in the table.

The club will hope a change of manager will help to turn around its season in time to move into UEFA Champions League contention down the stretch.

Tuchel managed PSG to a 95-19-13 record from May 2018 to December 2020, most notably winning two Ligue 1 titles and guiding them to last season's Champions League final. The German arrived in Paris a year after a two-season spell with Borussia Dortmund that saw them win the DFB-Pokal.