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FILE – Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward Kylian Mbappé reacts during a training session at Luz Stadium in Lisbon on August 22, 2020 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint- Germain and Bayern Munich. (Photo by David Ramos / various sources / AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain sacked manager Thomas Tuchel with former club defender and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino lined up as his replacement, according to various media reports on Thursday.
The French champions declined to make a statement when contacted by AFP to confirm the impact of the farewell on Christmas Eve, as claimed by the L’Equipe newspaper, the RMC media outlet and the German tabloid Bild.
“No idea” replied a spokesman for the club when asked when the news would be confirmed.
PSG forward Kylian Mbappé paid tribute to Tuchel on social media.
“Unfortunately, it is the law of football, but no one will forget your time here,” posted the World Cup winner on Instagram.
“You wrote a great line on the history of the club and I thank you coach,” he added.
Pochettino, who spent two and a half years as a player at the club, could have his first training session on January 3 after the winter break.
Tuchel, 47, came to the Parc des Princes on a two-year contract in 2018 and guided the Parisians to their first Champions League final last season.
But now, if the reports are confirmed, less than three months after the final loss to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, the German has become the first PSG coach to leave mid-season since Antoine Kombouare was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti in December 2011.
Tuchel, who is scheduled to leave six months before the end of his contract, led PSG to a round of 16 appointment with Barcelona in this season’s Champions League despite being plagued with injuries, suspensions and coronavirus infections. .
And unlike his predecessors, Tuchel seemed adept at managing his band of superstar players, returning Neymar the smile that was lacking during the Unai Emery era.
However, the Qatari-backed club is believed to be unhappy with Tuchel’s recent press comments, the most recent unauthorized interview to appear in German media on Wednesday.
‘Angry’
“We missed winning the Champions League for one game. And we never had the feeling that we had convinced people and that they recognized our performance. Sometimes that makes you a little sad or angry, ”he told Sport1.
He also complained about the demands placed on him.
“During the first six months I asked myself ‘am I still a coach … or a sports minister?'”
They reportedly received their marching orders less than 24 hours after Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Strasbourg, which dropped them one point off the top of the table in Ligue 1 ahead of winter break.
If his dismissal is confirmed, he will leave PSG with two Ligue 1 titles, a French Cup and a League Cup.
In 2017, he lost his job as Borussia Dortmund coach three days after guiding the Bundesliga team to the German Cup and reportedly fell out with the club’s hierarchy.
The new man on PSG’s bench when the season resumes in the New Year will be Pochettino, suggests RMC.
The Argentine, a popular PSG center-back between 2001 and 2003, left his position as Tottenham manager in November 2019, six months after leading them to their first Champions League final.
The 48-year-old transformed Spurs’ fortunes during his five-and-a-half-year reign, but failed to win a trophy.
He has been heavily linked to a return to the Premier League with Newcastle if his Saudi-backed acquisition proposal is approved, while speculation about Manchester United’s job has never faded.
But now it seems that he will leave his home in London and look for a new accommodation across the canal.
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