Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea exit came 'too early'

Thomas Tuchel has admitted that his time at Chelsea came to an end too soon for him.

The club shocked many when they took the decision to sack the German just six matches into the 2022/23 campaign.

Despite the fact that he won just two of those matches and lost to Southampton, Leeds and Dinamo Zagreb, it was widely believed that he deserved more time given what he had previously achieved there as manager.

It was reported at the time that he didn't want to leave and tried to convince new owner Todd Boehly to change his mind, to no avail.

Speaking to Sportstar, he admitted his time in the job ended too early for his liking.

“I loved every day at Chelsea,” he said. “It came to an end too early for me, but it was out of my hands. This is also what you sign up for.”

His best moment as Chelsea manager was undoubtedly when he won them their second Champions League title just a few months after joining.

That achievement was a big upset with the side very much the underdogs in both the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final against Manchester City.

Looking back, he admits that even he didn't expect them to prevail.

“It was of such a level that you never expect to win it,” he said.

“We played the role of an underdog. When I joined the club was placed ninth in the league, so even qualifying for the Champions League was an achievement.”