Chelsea have confirmed head coach Thomas Tuchel has left the club after their Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
After a summer of heavy spending which included the signings of defenders of Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, a run of just two wins in six games have left the Blues five points behind in the Premier League title race and winless in Europe after one game.
They were poor in Russia, being defeated 1-0 as Mislav Orsic scored the only goal of the game.
A club statement released on Wednesday morning read: “On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club. Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea’s history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.
“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the Club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.
“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.
“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”
Tuchel cut a despondent figure after Tuesday night’s defeat, insisting his side are “clearly not there” performance-wise and adding that “everything is missing”.
He said: “I am angry at myself, I am angry at our performance. I didn’t see it coming. We need to be much better. We are not finished, we are not happy but I thought we were on a good way. I am surprised by this performance.”