Tuchel reportedly sacked by PSG with Pochettino as replacement
Thomas Tuchel has been sacked as manager of Paris Saint- Germain, with former Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino the leading contender to succeed the German, according to various reports on Thursday.
The Ligue 1 champions declined to confirm the shock Christmas Eve dismissal. “No idea”, a club spokesman replied when asked for a confirmation of reports in various media.
Tuchel, 47, arrived at the Parc des Princes on a two-year contract in 2018, and guided the Parisians to their first Champions League final last season.
Less than three months since that defeat to Bayern Munich in that European final, Tuchel has guided PSG to a last-16 date
with Barcelona this season, despite being plagued by injuries, suspensions and coronavirus infections.
And in contrast to his predecessor, Tuchel appeared adept at man-managing his band of superstar players, giving Ney
mar back the smile that was missing during the Unai Emery era.
The club, however, are thought to be unhappy with recent comments in the press by Tuchel, the most recent being an unauthorised interview in the German media on Wednesday. In it, he expressed resentment at what he perceived as a lack of acknowledgement the club had shown towards his achievements since arriving in the French capital.
“We missed winning the Champions League by one match. And we never had the feeling that we had convinced people and that they recognised our performance. Sometimes that makes you a little sad or angry,” he told Sport1.
He also complained about the demands imposed upon him. “During the first six months, I was asking myself ‘am I still a coach...or a minister of Sport?’”
He was reportedly given his marching orders less than 24 hours after PSG’s 4-0 win over Strasbourg which left them a point off the top of the table in Ligue 1 ahead of the winter break.
If his dismissal is confirmed, he leaves PSG with two Ligue 1 titles, a French Cup and a League Cup.
In 2017, he lost his job as Borussia Dortmund manager three days after guiding the Bundesliga side to the German Cup and reportedly fell out with the club’s hierarchy.
The new man in the PSG dugout when the season resumes in the New Year could be Pochettino, claim the reports.
The Argentine, a popular PSG defender between 2001 and 2003, left Tottenham in November 2019, six months after leading them to their first Champions League final.
Pochettino, 48, transformed Spurs during his five- and- ahalf-year reign but failed to win a trophy.