Thomas Tuchel has revealed what he told Chelsea about Frank Lampard before the former Derby manager was sacked.
The German coach was appointed in January after a poor start to the campaign under Lampard which saw Chelsea teetering in ninth place.
And Tuchel conceded that he suggested to the Chelsea board that Lampard deserved more time to prove himself when he was approached about taking the job.
‘I said to the board are you sure you want to do this? Because they will not like you and maybe he deserves more time,’ Tuchel told Sky Sports.
‘When I think of Chelsea I think of Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Cech , Didier Drogba. He embodies everything Chelsea is, hard work, aggressive player a big leader but a normal guy. A true, true legend.
‘But I understood the choice was already made, so I had to take it or leave it.’
Since Tuchel took over from Lampard, the Blues have gone from strength to strength, winning the Champions League and finishing fourth during his first campaign in the Premier League.
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Chelsea will be looking for more silverware this season and have added Romelu Lukaku to their ranks this summer, with the Belgian star joining for a club-record fee from Inter Milan.
However, Tuchel’s side enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday at the Emirates.
