Chelsea are turning to Thomas Tuchel because they want another German to bring the best out of big-money flops Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, says Mario Melchiot.
The Blues invested heavily in two highly-rated forwards during the summer of 2020.
Frank Lampard was calling the shots at that stage and believed undoubted potential could be unlocked in two proven performers.
Adjustment to Premier League life has, however, proved tricky for Werner, who has one goal in his last 16 appearances, and Havertz, who has struggled for form and fitness throughout his time at Stamford Bridge.
With Lampard unable to find a spark, Roman Abramovich has taken the decision to make another change in the dugout.
Tuchel is expected to fill that void, with Melchiot not surprised to see the Blues turning to another continental option after seeing a legendary Englishman fail in the most demanding of roles.
The former Chelsea defender told talkSPORT: “It’s going to be tricky, but when a new coach comes in everybody gets a new wind.
“But it’s then like, ‘well, why didn’t you do that when the other coach was there?’
“But everybody will start from zero again; even the players who weren’t playing and didn’t get a look-in, they are going to get the opportunity now to perform and put themselves in the window.
“And if you look back at Tuchel; he took the job at Mainz and then at Dortmund – he took the job of [Jurgen] Klopp twice in a row.
“So he is really connected to some of the German players, especially the expensive guys they stood behind like Werner and Kai Havertz. Those are guys who played in that league who will know him, and he’ll know them really well too.
“So I’m sure they’ll be looking at that too and thinking, ‘we invested quite a bit of capital in these individuals, so who is the best man to get the best out of them?’ And, of course Frank wanted them, but if that isn’t going to be the case they are going to have to find someone who is capable of getting the best out of them.
“And I’m sure if they make the choice to get Tuchel in that has to be one of the reasons.”
With Tuchel preparing to take control at Stamford Bridge, Lampard is now on the lookout for a new job.
Melchiot is not expecting the 42-year-old to be out of work for long, adding: “If you look at a player like Frank, he didn’t achieve the glory that he had by going down after a disappointment.
“So why would I expect him to not come back? He has the ability, the quality and the confidence to get himself back on the road.
“He just needs to take a break, spend some time with his family and get his head around it – just like you do as a footballer when you are down. And then he comes back and goes again at it!
“Things don’t come your way the easy way, and there are always going to be bumps in the way. You just have to overcome them.”