Tuchel gone! Pulisic, Aubameyang & the winners & losers of Chelsea's shock sack announcement

What has happened to Christian Pulisic?

It seemed to be a match made in heaven in the beginning. Ex-Dortmund boss linking up with ex-Dortmund player once again. The Tuchel-Pulisic reunion appeared to have the makings of something special.

Truth is, the more Tuchel's tenure progressed, the less we saw of Pulisic. Yes, there were injuries but it can't all be put down to fitness issues. Something wasn't quite right.

It wasn't all bad - we saw flashes of Pulisic's talent last season, but too often he was an afterthought and spent way too much time either in the treatment room or on the bench.

With Tuchel gone, Pulisic - who ultimately remained at Stamford Bridge despite talk of leaving in the summer - will at least have a fresh start and we might finally start seeing the best of him.

The challenge now is to get himself fully fit.

Aubameyang can't seem to catch a break.

The former Arsenal striker had only been back in London for five minutes and already his coaching mentor - who will have played a significant role in signing him in the first place - is out the door.

We're being a bit harsh - the new man in charge, whoever it may be, might buy into the whole Aubameyang return narrative and get the best out of him, but there's also a fairly big risk that he won't.

What's more, Tuchel's replacement will be all too aware that time isn't something you get too much of when managing a Premier League powerhouse, so with results needing to be delivered immediately, Auba needs to hit the ground running.

The only saving grace for the Gabonese is that Mikel Arteta isn't looking for work. Imagine.

Let's face it, if Tuchel was still at Chelsea next summer, there's no way Romelu Lukaku was coming back.

It just wasn't happening. No chance. It all started with that Sky Italia interview in December, and it ended with him on a flight to Milan six months later, £100 million down the drain.

It didn't work for Lukaku, it didn't work for Chelsea. Now, though, it's really not beyond the realms to imagine a scenario whereby Lukaku plays for Chelsea again.

Even if he doesn't, you can be absolutely certain zero tears will have been shed upon hearing about Tuchel's demise.

Why Rodgers, we hear you say?

Well, had the Leicester City boss not been overseeing a shambolic start to the season, he would likely have been among the favourites to replace Tuchel in the Chelsea hotseat.

Indeed, the history is there - Rodgers has managed the Blues' academy and reserve sides in the past - and there was a time not so long ago that the former Liverpool boss was being linked with every top job that came up.

Of course, there are more parts to Leicester's predicament than just Rodgers' coaching, but at this moment in time, he couldn't be further away from landing one of the biggest managerial roles in European football.

'Hi, is that Zizou? It's Todd.'

Just when it seemed all the top jobs in Europe were safe and secure, Chelsea pop up with a listing from nowhere.

Whether Zidane would be interested in the Premier League - he wasn't when the Manchester United job was available - is questionable, but the Blues could certainly do worse than looking at bringing in a three-times Champions League-winning manager.

Mauricio Pochettino is another who is out work and would be surely jump at the chance of a return to London.

In an era where Boehly is willing to spend upwards of £62 million on Marc Cucurella, coming up with the cash for the right managerial candidate isn't likely to present a problem.

That may well see Chelsea raid a rival and, who knows, this could be Graham Potter's time.

Liverpool - who have had their own problems so far this season - face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on September 18.

By that point, one would think the Blues would've got a move on and appointed a replacement for Tuchel. That new manager bounce anyone?

The supporters will be up, the players will be pumped. Not ideal if you're Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.

That didn't last long!

After their touchline spat and hand-gripping shenanigans following the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Spurs back in August, Tuchel and Conte had emerged as a genuine rivalry for Premier League fans to sink their teeth into.

In a league that's been severely lacking bite in the modern era, that particular fallout was a welcome break from the norm.

Granted, it wasn't exactly Keane vs Vieira, but with Tuchel gone, supporters have already been robbed of a rivalry before it had chance to get properly juicy.

Anyway, it's a win for Conte here and a loss for fans who love a bit of spice.

Nine times out of 10, Tuchel was a reporter's dream.

The German shoots from the hip, speaks perfect English and would rarely avoid tackling a press conference question head on, regardless of the potential repercussions.

His spat with Conte was epic, and added to the spectacle of a London derby that had already proved to be a contender for game of the season. As a journalist, what's not to love about that?

Much like Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech has become something of a forgotten man at Chelsea.

His plight was summed up perfectly by his disasterclass cameo in the Blues' shock 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, where Ziyech rowed with Reece James over the taking of a free-kick before ultimately thumping it straight at the wall - for the second time in a row.

Maybe it was all part of the plan?

Regardless, Tuchel, who rarely turned to Ziyech in the games that mattered, is gone and the Moroccan will see the appointment of a new manager as a chance to redeem himself.

Okay, so there wasn't peak-Jose Mourinho levels of affection for Tuchel right away, but Chelsea fans will undoubtedly be sad to see the German depart.

He won 60 of his 100 matches in charge. He won the Champions League for goodness sake. What more can you ask? But that's ultimately what the board wanted - the next level.

Tuchel wasn't able to deliver that in the timeframe expected, but that doesn't take away the fact that the Blues are losing a world-class manager.

His touchline energy and attention to detail was often unrivalled and you can be fairly certain it won't take him long to return to the big time - and perhaps even in the Premier League.

We certainly haven't seen the last of Thomas Tuchel.