JUST-IN: Chelsea confirm Tuchel as new manager

Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as Frank Lampard’s successor at Chelsea.

Lampard was dramatically sacked on Monday after a dismal run of form has left them ninth in the Premier League table and 11 points off leaders Manchester United.

Tuchel, who had been out of work for one month after being axed by Paris Saint-Germain, will be tasked with getting an immediate response out of the squad that has failed to show any cohesion in the weeks leading to Lampard’s sacking.

Tuchel paid tribute to predecessor Lampard, saying: ‘I would like to thank Chelsea for their confidence in me and my staff.

‘We all have the greatest respect for Frank Lampard’s work and the legacy he created at Chelsea. At the same time, I cannot wait to meet my new team and compete in the most exciting league in football.

read also:Try and see Tuchel is good, says Ferdinand

‘I am grateful to now be part of the Chelsea family – it feels amazing!’

Director Marina Granovskaia said: ‘It is never easy to change manager in the middle of the season but we are very happy to secure one of Europe’s best coaches in Thomas Tuchel.

‘There is still much to play for and much to achieve, this season and beyond. We welcome Thomas to the club.’

The 47-year-old Tuchel’s credentials were enhanced significantly last summer when he guided PSG to the Champions League final, where they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich.

Lampard departed with the worst points-per-game ratio of any manager in the Roman Abramovich era, a statistic that did not go unnoticed.

Welcome to Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel! ✍️🔵 #WelcomeTuchel

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 26, 2021

Sportsmail understands that Abramovich, despite preferring to wait until the summer to make a change when more of his preferred replacements would have been more readily available, accelerated his initial interest in Tuchel immediately after the loss to Leicester after conceding a new boss had to appointed immediately to save the club’s season.

Indeed, it is understood Tuchel could have been in place prior to the win over Luton on Sunday but Covid travel restrictions meant Lampard was afforded one more game, which he won to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

But despite the win, the decision to eventually replace Lampard with Tuchel was made.

The fact Tuchel was available immediately proved a key factor in his appointment.

Tuchel becomes the 13th permanent manager of Abramovich’s tenure after Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Lampard.

He will be able to avoid quarantine measures so he can take training and matches thanks to a special exemption in Covid rules governing elite sport.

Tuchel, who is travelling to the UK from Germany, and not in an elite sporting bubble would normally be expected to face at least five days in self isolation.

Sportsmail understands that the FA can apply for special exemptions for elite sports people and ancillary staff, including managers and head coaches, even if they are not part of an elite sport bubble.

Unlike Lampard, Tuchel made little to no impression as a player. But as a manager the German has caught the eye and established himself among Europe’s elite.

Tuchel first gained attention in the 2010-11 campaign when he led Mainz, usually a mid-ranking club in Germany, to the Europa League.

He went on to bigger jobs at Borussia Dortmund — where he succeeded Jurgen Klopp in 2015 and won the German Cup — and then at PSG, where Tuchel claimed four major trophies and reached the Champions League final last season.

Tuchel will be familiar with many players in the Chelsea dressing room with Thiago Silva a key man for Tuchel’s PSG.

The Brazilian centre back should be an early ally at Chelsea along with Christian Pulisic, who played for Tuchel at Dortmund.

One of Tuchel’s key objectives will be to revive the form of both Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.

Werner, who arrived from RB Leipzig, and Havertz, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen, joined for a combined £125m and yet have failed to kickstart their careers in the Premier League.

It is hoped that Tuchel, as a German speaker, can coax the form out of the pair that saw Chelsea spend so heavily to get them.

Tuchel has experience of managing the best players in the game with a successful spell at PSG working with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.