Morris to leave Chelsea after Lampard departure as Blues work out logistics of Tuchel arrival

Nizaar Kinsella

Morris to leave Chelsea after Lampard departure as Blues work out logistics of Tuchel arrival image

Most of Frank Lampard's coaching team will also leave Chelsea ahead of the imminent arrival of Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.

Jody Morris and Chris Jones, who acted as Lampard's assistants, will also leave the club having come to Chelsea from Derby County.

The coaches promoted from Chelsea's academy set-up, like Joe Edwards, see their status unconfirmed at this stage, while the club prepares to announce the signing of Tuchel within the next 24 hours.

With the contracts and paperwork having been verbally agreed after Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Leicester City, they were signed and sealed despite Lampard winning his last game in charge against Luton Town in the FA Cup.

The aim is to see Tuchel in place ahead of the upcoming home match against Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, but the Blues are having to oversee the transition in a Covid-19 conscious environment.

It remains unclear whether the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will advise Chelsea's new manager to self-isolate upon his arrival, with travel severely restricted into the country.

Tuchel has been out of work since being sacked by PSG in December and is not in an elite sport environment that would ensure that he was safe go straight into work at his new club.

Chelsea hope the exemption still applies to Tuchel, but Manchester United saw Edinson Cavani having to self-isolate after joining the Old Trafford club because he was a free agent for a period of time.

Meanwhile, the decision to sack Lampard could prove controversial due to his club-legend status. A group of fans placed a banner at Stamford Bridge which read 'In Frank We Trust' at the weekend.

The club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich took the unprecented decision to explain why they were sacking Frank Lampard in a statement on Monday afternoon.

“This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him’," it read. “He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances, we believe it is best to change managers.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

The change was further explained through a spokesman on the club website stating that "recent results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.'

Chelsea are currently in ninth place having lost five of their last eight games, including recent defeats to Leicester, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.