Frank Lampard has become the “latest victim of Chelsea’s Russian roulette” and Thomas Tuchel will likely go the same way as his reign ends “in tears”, says former Blues striker Chris Sutton.
Another change in the dugout has been made at Stamford Bridge, with Roman Abramovich wielding the axe once more.
Club legend Lampard has been sent packing after just 18 months at the helm, with the west London giants underlining their standing as “the most ruthless of ruthless clubs”.
The expectation is that former Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel will be asked to pick up the slipperiest of coaching batons, with the German out of work after leaving the Ligue 1 champions.
Sutton fears another high-profile coach will get similarly short shrift from Abramovich if things go wrong, with patience a commodity that remains in short supply at a Premier League heavyweight.
The ex-Blues frontman has told the Daily Mail: “Chelsea sacked Roberto Di Matteo six months after he delivered them the Holy Grail of the Champions League.
“They sacked Carlo Ancelotti in a Goodison Park corridor having finished second in the Premier League, a year after he delivered them the Double.
“Now they’ve sacked Frank Lampard after one sticky spell. This is the most ruthless of ruthless clubs.
“It is 52 days since Chelsea were top of the Premier League on December 5, and 49 days since they made it 17 games unbeaten in all competitions on December 8.
“In that time, owner Roman Abramovich has come to the conclusion that Lampard isn’t up to it. It’s short-termism in the extreme. Lampard spoke about a ‘nice air of positivity’ after beating Luton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
“Now he becomes the latest victim of Chelsea’s Russian roulette. Abramovich put a personal touch on the club statement, which was nice and something he’s never done for another manager, but ultimately he’s still giving Lampard the boot.
“Thomas Tuchel is on his way and you expect that will end in tears. Tuchel isn’t a yes man. He’s fallen out with his past employers.
“His appointment tells us a lot about Abramovich’s mindset. Chelsea’s owner isn’t bothered about building — it’s about winning and finding the fastest route to that.
“He doesn’t mind hiring Tuchel and firing him in 18 months, so long as the German delivers a big trophy or two. That’s the Abramovich way.”
Chelsea will be back in action on Wednesday when they play host to Wolves, with that contest set to be taken in with the Blues sitting in mid-table and some way off the title pace.