Romano drops Chelsea, Tuchel verdict amid Pochettino sack talk with Boehly to ‘eat humble pie’

Lewis Oldham
Tuchel to Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel is linked with a return to Chelsea.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reacted to reports linking Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel with a return to Premier League giants Chelsea.

Current Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is nearing the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge but he has come under serious pressure this term.

Pochettino out, Tuchel in?

Todd Boehly’s reign as co-owner of the Blues has got off to a turbulent start as they have declined in recent years despite spending over £1bn on transfers.

After finishing 12th in the Premier League season, Chelsea are 11th in the table after winning just two of their past six games in the league.

Chelsea returned to winning ways on Monday night as they edged out Newcastle United to win 3-2 at Stamford Bridge but they are eight points adrift of sixth-placed Manchester United with a game in hand.

Pochettino is among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked and if Chelsea do opt to replace him, it has been suggested that they could re-appoint Tuchel.

The German head coach was sacked by Boehly at the start of the 2022/23 campaign after butting heads with the new owners over recruitment.

Tuchel has since taken over at Bayern Munich but this move has not gone well for anyone involved. It has been confirmed that he will leave the German giants in the summer as they are ten points adrift of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table.

His imminent exit has fuelled talk linking him with a return to the Premier League and SportBILD has suggested that Boehly knows that the club was ‘significantly better positioned’ with Tuchel in charge and could bring him back if he ‘eats humble pie’.

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‘Doesn’t look easy…’

Romano has now claimed that ‘Tuchel’s return to Chelsea doesn’t look easy’ after how the manager and the Premier League club “separated” in 2022.

“I’m aware there have also been some reports about Thomas Tuchel potentially looking to return to Chelsea once he leaves his position as Bayern Munich manager at the end of this season,” Romano told Caught Offside.

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“We know Tuchel will be looking for a new club, but for now I have nothing concrete on a move back to Chelsea.

“I haven’t heard anything about this and don’t like to guess too much, but what I can say is that for sure it was not an ‘easy’ separation between Tuchel and Chelsea when he left in 2022. So it seems like coming back would also not be easy.

“And, as previously reported, Chelsea’s plan remains to stick with Mauricio Pochettino for now and assess the situation at the end of the season.”