“From what I hear they were getting their noses too into things that should be left to the manager” – Rio Ferdinand hits out at Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for sacking Tuchel

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand criticized Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for his decision to part ways with manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel was sacked as the Chelsea manager on September 7 after they lost to Dinamo Zagreb in the opening game of their UEFA Champions League campaign.

Graham Potter was brought in from Brighton & Hove Albion the next day to take charge at Stamford Bridge.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand revealed that the staff behind the scenes were just as shocked as Tuchel after getting to know the club's decision:

"I've spoken to people behind the scenes and from good sources it was as much a surprise to the coaching staff as it was to everyone outside. The staff had spent a lot of time speaking to the owners and from what I'm told Tuchel and his team had never had as much engagement with owners at any point in their careers."

He added:

"There's hands on and there's too much. From what I hear they were getting their noses too into things that should be left to a manager."

He further added that the Chelsea owners were even looking to influence the manager's player selection. Given the character of the German manager, he was never going to accept that type of control from the club's owners:

"I've heard those stories, they're trying to influence even player selection and when you get to that point you can start to understand why a manager would have some pushback. Tuchel, the personality and character he is, he wouldn't have accepted that, some other characters will do as new owners say but Thomas Tuchel isn't that guy."

Tuchel won the UEFA Champions League trophy, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea after joining them in January 2021.

---

Rio Ferdinand claims Chelsea owner Todd Boehly shouldn't be taking decisions related to players

Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand added that Todd Boehly might look to oust a few players from his Chelsea team, including goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

However, the former England defender added that the owner should not be taking those kind of decisions as it is the manager's call.

"I don't know if an owner should even be talking about that, the manager is there to deal with that. You employ people that are professionals in that area. It will be interesting to see if they have that involvement with Potter. I think it's a clear understanding of football. It has to be."

New manager Graham Potter will be in charge for his first match for the Blues against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League on September 14.