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Paris Saint-Germain fired coach Thomas Tuchel and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino will replace him, sources told ESPN.
Pochettino has been out of work since his firing from Spurs last November after five years in charge of the north London club.
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The Argentine coach spent two years at PSG during his playing career, where he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001.
Tuchel has paid the price after the French champions lost four games in Ligue 1 this season and entered the winter break in third place, one point behind Lyon and Lille.
Sources have told ESPN that several players expected Tuchel to get the catch, but he was wanted in the locker room.
Sources also said that Tuchel met with the club’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and sporting director Leonardo, and that it was decided to replace him last week due to his tension with Leonardo and lack of playing style.
The French champions suffered a 1-0 home loss to Lyon on December 13 before a goalless draw in Lille on Sunday.
Despite losses to Manchester United and RB Leipzig, PSG advanced to the knockout stages of the Champions League, but will face Barcelona in the knockout stages in February.
The exit comes four months after Tuchel led the club to their first Champions League final in which they lost to Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Tuchel was named to a two-year contract in 2018, replacing Unai Emery, and won the Ligue 1 title in his first campaign before claiming a national triple in his second and reaching the Champions League final.
However, his third season in Paris was overshadowed by a disagreement with PSG sports director Leonardo over the hiring of players.
In October, Tuchel publicly criticized Leonardo, saying: “We lose too many players in free transfers. It is too much, too much. We cannot ask this team the same as we did last season.”
Leonardo replied the next day, after PSG’s 6-1 victory over Angers in Ligue 1: “I didn’t like your comments, nor did the club.”
“We have to understand the moment we are going through. If someone is not happy, it is easy, we can talk. But if you decide to stay, you have to respect the people who are above you.”
Thiago Silva, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Thomas Meunier, Edinson Cavani, Tanguy Kouassi and Adil Aouchiche all left PSG during the summer, although they did sign Alessandro Florenzi, Moise Kean and Danilo Pereira on loan and Rafinha free.
Tuchel parted ways with Borussia Dortmund in May 2017 amid disagreements with the club’s hierarchy, despite leading the club to the DFB Pokal title three days earlier.
PSG are back in action when they face a trip to Saint-Etienne on January 6.
