By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)
Paris Saint-Germain have sacked head coach Thomas Tuchel, with Mauricio Pochettino set to return to management with his former club.
This is happening four months after leading the French side to the Champions League Final – ultimately going down to Bayern Munich – the German has been dismissed from his role at the Parc des Princes.
As first reported by Bild Tuchel, 47, leaves the Parc des Princes after two-and-a-half years in charge.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss had won six trophies with Les Parisiens, including back-to-back Ligue 1 crowns.
But Wednesday night’s 4-0 win over Strasbourg was the end of the road, despite PSG being third in the French league, just one point off top spot.
Pre-game, Tuchel had given an interview in his homeland in which he was quoted as saying he had, at times, felt more like “a sports politician or sports minister than a coach” during his tenure.
After the win over Strasbourg, he had attempted to clarify those comments to Canal.
I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true… It is possible they translated incorrectly.
“Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that.
“I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”
Asked for a second time about the remark, he added: “I gave a video interview to a journalist who told me to do a story about German coaches.
“It is not an interview for him. It is not allowed. I was making a joke in German. The translation is not correct. We cannot translate word for word.
“It was a joke while we were talking and it is not allowed.”
As such, despite the club’s position in the French championship – where they remain favourites – and having won their Champions League group – they will meet Barcelona in the last 16 – Tuchel has been shown the exit, brutally, on Christmas Eve, although he was informed of his fate in the hours after the win over Strasbourg.
Former Tottenham manager Pochettino, sidelined since his Spurs exit 13 months ago, appears set to return to PSG, where the Argentine spent two years as a player.
President Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a big fan of the former Spurs chief.
In November Pochettino discussed his readiness to return to management, declaring on Monday Night Football: “I am always ready to go again and be involved in the game.”
And back in 2016, he admitted: “One day I would like to train PSG. It’s one of my dreams. It’s a club that I follow a lot.”
On social media, Gary Lineker commented: “Mauricio Pochettino is being lined up by PSG. A terrific coach whose only minus is the lack of winning trophies…well that’s about to change.”
