Tuchel sacking ‘surprised’ Chelsea man who says Potter ‘has made a very good impression’

Kai Havertz was shocked to see Thomas Tuchel sacked as Chelsea boss, “especially” after the number of changes at the club over the summer.

The German head coach was dismissed earlier this month following the Blues’ difficult start to the season.

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He was relieved of his duties shortly after the summer transfer window closed, a window in which Tuchel was backed with £250million in spending money.

There were a lot of changes at Stamford Bridge over the summer, with co-owner Todd Boehly assuming the roles of chairman and interim sporting director after he and his consortium bought the club from Roman Abramovich.

As well as wholesale changes in the boardroom, Chelsea lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen following the expiry of their contracts and spent over £250m on eight new players.

Real Madrid defender Rudiger was asked about Tuchel’s sacking this week, saying it came as a surprise after the amount of money he was allowed to spend in the summer.

“First, he was allowed to bring in new players, only to be released after a few games. I was surprised at the speed,” Rudiger told Sport1.

“The day of his release was a sad one for me. I wrote to him afterwards and thanked him again for everything.

“He was there for everyone, not just me. If you look at where we came from and where he took us, he did the impossible.

“But you know how it is in football. Sometimes you’re the hero, sometimes the bogeyman.”

Havertz – who scored the only goal of the game as Tuchel’s side won the Champions League final in 2021 – was also surprised to learn of his head coach’s sacking.

When told that Rudiger was shocked by Tuchel’s departure, Havertz told Kicker: “Me too. Especially when you consider how we’ve played in the past year and a half and what we’ve won.

“With the current sixth place in the table, you can’t speak of a messed up start to the season, especially since we have many newcomers who first have to acclimatise. But football is very fast-moving, a lot can happen at any time.”

Boehly replaced Tuchel with Brighton boss Graham Potter, who penned a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Potter joins having guided the Seagulls to their highest finish in Premier League history (ninth).

23-year-old Havertz has been impressed with Potter so far.

“Our new coach has made a very good impression, we have a great squad. I think we are in for a good time,” he said.

Potter’s only match in charge so far was the home draw against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League.

His first Premier League match was set to be against Fulham at Craven Cottage on September 10 but the game was postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The following week, Chelsea’s game against Liverpool was also postponed in the wake of the Queen’s death.

Potter’s first league match as Blues boss will be at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace on October 1.