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It was a particularly big day at Chelsea, as under-pressure head coach Frank Lampard, who was battling to save his job, was finally sacked in the late hours of Monday morning, barely 24 hours after a win over Luton Town in the FA Cup.
The 3-1 victory over the weekend in the FA Cup was not enough to save his job, as the Blues had been on a woeful run in the Premier League.
After Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich opted to make the key decision, it appears Thomas Tuchel is the man stepping into the dugout at Stamford Bridge, after talks were reportedly held over the weekend.
Thomas Tuchel to oversee new era at Chelsea
The German head coach is already well-known by a few players in west London, with Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic playing under his tutelage at Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
However, with Tuchel having less than a week to do any real business in this transfer window, it's difficult to see any new signings at Chelsea, meaning the 47-year-old would have to select from the pool of players already at the club.
With such a large squad, several players are likely to be deemed surplus to requirements, and here are five stars who could be cast aside by Thomas Tuchel.
#5 Marcos Alonso
The 30-year-old left-back had already seen his spot under threat with the arrival of Ben Chilwell in the summer, before getting into a worse situation by falling out with outgoing manager Frank Lampard.
The Spaniard hasn't appeared for Chelsea since September after that, and it should not come as a surprise if he continues to be overlooked even by the new manager after being out of action for such a long period.
#4 Kepa Arrizabalaga
The Spanish international has never been far from the media after his €80 million move from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018, where he became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.
However, he has grossly fallen short of expectations that come with such a price tag over as his time at Chelsea and has been responsible for several horrendous errors leading to opposition goals.
His spot as Chelsea's first-choice goalkeeper has since been given to the Senegalese summer signing Edouard Mendy, but he still has not been remarkable as the team's backup goalkeeper, meaning Tuchel might opt for a more tested and reliable option in veteran Willy Caballero.
#3 Billy Gilmour
The 19-year-old Chelsea midfielder was handed his senior debut by Frank Lampard, coming on for Tammy Abraham in the 2-2 draw against Sheffield United in the Premier League back in 2019.
He got his first start the following month in the 7-1 demolition of Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup, and was used sparsely as a squad player before a knee injury in July, which left him out for four months.
Despite his impressive performances, he is only just a young player who would have to bide his time as a squad player, as newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel will probably incline towards the senior players in his position at Chelsea.
#2 Andreas Christensen
Eyebrows were raised over Frank Lampard's decision earlier this month to loan fellow center-back Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan while Christensen remained at the club.
The Dane dropped down the pecking order after the arrival of Thiago Silva from PSG in the summer and has made just eight appearances for Chelsea this season.
Thomas Tuchel will probably prefer to integrate fellow countryman Antonio Rudiger into his side, after the 27-year-old fell out of favor with former manager Frank Lampard.
#1 Olivier Giroud
The most controversial name on this list undoubtedly, the world cup winner is destined to exit the club at the end of the season, as he has failed to get enough game time needed to boost his chances of making the Euros later this year.
The 34-year-old has appeared 18 times for Chelsea this season across all competitions, starting only six of those games and scoring nine goals.
While his ability, experience, and track record are indisputable, Tuchel would be looking more at players for the long run who have their focus on Chelsea at the moment.
Giroud doesn't fall into that category, as he runs out of contract in the summer and will most likely exit the club, probably to the Italian Serie A, where he is highly sought after.
