THOMAS TUCHEL was allegedly sacked as Chelsea manager for “off-field reasons” and because the players “lost respect” for him, according to an email from his ex-wife.
The German coach, 49, was dismissed by Blues owner Todd Boehly in September and replaced by Graham Potter.
It came following a run of three wins in seven games, with the sacking put down to poor results and differences of opinion.
But Bild has now revealed an alternate theory regarding his departure from Stamford Bridge – which is said to have come from a hearing at a Munich’s district court following his separation from wife, Sissi.
According to the German newspaper, Sissi, 51, received a call from England stating why he was sacked.
The justification is said to have included mysterious “off-field reasons” and the fact that the Chelsea players had lost respect for their head coach.
Tuchel was married to Sissi, a former Suddeutsche Zeitung journalist, for 13 years.
The couple, who have two daughters together, separated and began divorce proceedings last year.
The reasons for Tuchel’s sacking are said to have been laid out to Sissi in an email.
Bild allege that the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager wanted to impose an injunction on the information to prevent it being disclosed.
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But it was reportedly confirmed at a Munich hearing – which was held behind closed doors “because the highly personal area of life is touched on and the truthfulness of the statements is also disputed”.
The report also states the wording of some of the claims could not be published due to legal reasons.
Tuchel, who is said to have a new partner in 35-year-old Natalie Max, did not attend the hearing, but Sissi was present.
Meanwhile, Tuchel is continually being linked with a return to football.
Most recently, he has been touted to succeed Jose Mourinho at Roma and Antonio Conte at Spurs.
But SunSport exclusively revealed on Thursday that Tottenham face a battle to convince the German to take the job.