Roman Abramovich may have been forced to leave Chelsea but the club continues to be a precarious place to coach, with Thomas Tuchel the latest casualty.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss was let go by the club on Wednesday, just seven games into the new season, after they suffered a chastening Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb the night before.

Chelsea said they would move "swiftly" to appoint a replacement, with former Tottenham and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino and Brighton manager Graham Potter among the early favorites. The decision to axe Tuchel is thought to have been made before the game in Zagreb.

Early Champions League win

"On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club," the Premier League ouotfit said in a statement.

"Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea's history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here."

Tuchel is regarded as an astute tactician but has sometimes been perceived to struggle with player relations and has lasted less than two years at his three previous clubs: Chelsea, PSG and Dortmund.

The German coach was handed a huge transfer budget in the off-season, only to be sacked less than a week after bringing in his last signings, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But so far, the heavy spending has not paid dividends, with damaging defeats against Leeds and Southampton hurting their Premier League campaign.

Tough times after Abramovich exit

Since winning the Champions League in 2021, Tuchel has had plenty to deal with off the field. Previous owner Abramovich, announced he was selling the club shortly before he was hit with UK sanctions after the government deemed him to be part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.

Eventually, a US consortium led by Todd Boehly bought Chelsea and they have wasted no time making an impact.

"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition," the statement said.

mp/pfd (dpa, AP)