PSG line up Pochettino after sacking Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain just hours after their comprehensive win over Strasbourg, , as the club lines up Mauricio Pochettino as his replacement.

The 47-year-old Tuchel’s two-and-a-half-year reign at Parc des Princes is over, with the French champions taking the decision to make a change in the dugout following a mixed start to the 2020-21 campaign.

PSG picked up their 11th Ligue 1 win of the season by thrashing Strasbourg 4-0 in midweek, but still find themselves trailing Lyon and Lille by a point in the table.

And Tuchel has now paid the price for his team’s inconsistency, with sporting director Leonardo and club president Nasser Al Khelaifi informing the German of his dismissal on Wednesday night.

In his place, the club will turn to Pochettino, who will return to PSG having played for the club from 2001-03, winning the Intertoto Cup in 2001.

Pochettino, whose hiring is expected to be announced in the coming days, will sign a contract that will keep him with PSG through at least 2022 with a one-year option.

The PSG job will be Pochettino’s first since leaving Tottenham following a difficult start to the 2019-20 campaign.

Tuchel leaves a lasting legacy at PSG after delivering six domestic trophies and overseeing the club’s run to a first-ever Champions League final.

The Parisian outfit picked up Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue honours last season before appearing in European football’s showpiece event, only to lose 1-0 against Bayern Munich.

Tuchel was forced to defend himself after the Strasbourg game amid the fallout of an interview published by SPORT 1, during which he was quoted as saying he felt “more like a sports politician or sports minister than a coach” in his first season in France.

“I didn’t say it’s more about politics than sport, nor that I lost the fun of training. This is not true,” he told  Canal Plus . “It is possible they translated incorrectly.

“Watch the video interview. I just said that PSG are unique and that it’s a big challenge for me. It’s always been like that. I like this challenge and nothing has changed.”

PSG will now look to appoint a new head coach before their next fixture against Saint-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on January 6.

Despite their erratic domestic form, PSG still have multiple trophies to play for in the new year, including the Champions League, with a huge round-of-16 tie against Barcelona scheduled to take place in February.