Chelsea made Thomas Tuchel manage two matches after already deciding to fire him

• Tuchel sacked in September 2022
• Owners made choice week before
• But kept him around another two games

WHAT HAPPENED? It's been five months since Tuchel was dismissed from his post as Chelsea manager and subsequently replaced by Graham Potter. In the time since, the club has undergone a major transformation with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completely overhauling the squad in the January transfer window in a bid to help their new head coach.

Not all was smooth sailing while Tuchel was still in charge, with The Times reporting that the owners had made the decision to sack the German two games before he was actually let go - waiting until after the transfer window had closed to inform him and presumably any potential incoming players he didn't have a future at Stamford Bridge.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: A 1-0 defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, however a timeline provided by the report suggests otherwise. Tuchel disagreed with the new owners that his midfield needed strengthening and instead wanted defensive signings to replace the departed Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger. Still, the owners forced the addition of Denis Zakaria, whose loan switch to Stamford Bridge was confirmed on deadline day.

AND WHAT'S MORE: That decision evidently came after Chelsea's 2-1 defeat away to Southampton on August 30. But even though they had already decided they would dismiss the German - who won Chelsea the Champions League in 2021 - they kept him on for games against West Ham, a 2-1 win, and the defeat to Zagreb.

Graham Potter was announced as his replacement on September 8, just one day after the club confirmed Tuchel has been sacked.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR TUCHEL? Since leaving Stamford Bridge, Tuchel has taken time away from the game and is yet to return to the touchline, though he's been routinely linked to positions around Europe. The decision to sack him hasn't paid off just yet, with Potter's Chelsea stuck in 10th place in the Premier League and now under pressure to quickly integrate a host of new signings, including British record transfer Enzo Fernandez.