Thomas Tuchel turned down approaches from two European giants last season to stay at Chelsea: Reports

Chelsea sacked their German boss Thomas Tuchel yesterday (7 September). Amidst his sacking, there are reports that he turned down job opportunities from two European powerhouses last season. According to a report from Jason Burt (via the Telegraph), Tuchel decided against leaving Stamford Bridge for Barcelona and Manchester United.

The German manager was at the heart of the Blues' turmoil last season, which saw the side change ownership after sanctions on Roman Abramovich. The period also saw Chelsea go under sanctions from the UK government, which saw Tuchel play the role of the club's spokesman.

Barcelona notably had an interest in bringing in the German after sacking Ronald Koeman following a flurry of bad results at Camp Nou last season. Although the Blaugrana hierarchy eventually moved for Xavi Hernandez, Tuchel was their priority late last year. At the time, the 49-year-old expressed his intent to remain at Stamford Bridge, with journalist Jason Burt noting that Tuchel felt it was his duty.

A similar response was given to Manchester United, who were looking to sign the former Borussia Dortmund manager as a replacement for interim manager Ralf Rangnick earlier this year. Russia's aggression towards Ukraine impacted the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, and Chelsea were going through a tumultuous time. This led to Tuchel's decision to remain with the club due to his sense of duty.

Chelsea's start to the ongoing season under Tuchel saw his side pick up just 10 points in six Premier League games. They sit in sixth place and are struggling to score goals. It has also helped that their start to the Champions League campaign was also subpar, with the Blues losing 0-1 to Dinamo Zagreb on matchday 1.

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What next for former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel?

The new ownership did not work well for their German manager, and according to the report, discussions over a new contract for Tuchel never panned out. Following a difficult start to the season and their inability to work in tandem during the transfer window, Todd Boehly sacked Tuchel.

Burt claims that Tuchel will take some time away from football before making a decision on the next club to manage. However, it is expected that the German tactician will have no issues joining one of the European giants, following earlier interest from clubs like Barcelona.