Thomas Tuchel has delivered a glaringly blunt appraisal of the precarious situation he believes faces any manager at Chelsea.
The new Chelsea boss has candidly accepted his Stamford Bridge employers would sack him for underperforming, whatever the length of his contract.
The 47-year-old has signed 18-month terms at Chelsea, in a short deal that allows the Blues bosses an easy out should the German's west London tenure fall flat.
Tuchel Cam 🎥 If his opening game in the Chelsea dugout is anything to go by, the new gaffer is quite the vocal one 🔊 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 29, 2021
Chelsea's ruthless streak has not been lost on former Paris St Germain boss Tuchel, who insisted he knows only too well what fate will be in store should he fail to deliver quickfire silverware.
"I want to be very honest with you, at first it was a concern, I was a little like 'oh, why 18 months?' And after one minute I thought 'what does it change?'" said Tuchel.
"What does it change? If they give me four-and-a-half years, they will sack me anyway. If they are not happy with me, they will sack me anyway.
"And if they gave me four-and-a-half years they would put in a clause that when they sack me they'll pay me.
"So where can I be sure that I'll be there four-and-a-half years? You cannot. That is the truth at this level."
Tuchel was sacked by PSG in December despite delivering two successive league titles and steering the French giants to the 2020 Champions League final.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has always railed against the political element of management, and is determined to avoid any boardroom power struggles at Chelsea.
Frank Lampard was sacked despite his status as a bona fide club stalwart, and Chelsea's record goalscorer – and also after just 18 months at the helm amid what he branded a major squad rebuilding project.
Tuchel by contrast has arrived and immediately insisted he needs no more players, and must be able to turn Chelsea into contenders for next season's Premier League title.
Fail within that time frame, and Tuchel knows he will be out of work again – so the plain-speaking German revealed he decided to forget the risks and jump straight in to the Stamford Bridge challenge.
Tuchel is determined to stick to his Chelsea brief as head coach and stay out of board-level battles, questioning what responsibilities should befall the modern manager.
Back on the grind 👊 pic.twitter.com/IFH2dp4ewb — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 30, 2021
"Where is the role right now of the coaches? Are we like in charge of the whole team and the transfers as well, or not, are we totally free in everything we do or not?" said Tuchel.
"Are we only responsible for bad results or also good results? And where is this role and where do we find ourselves in that?
"So I decided not to worry too much, to go to do it, be brave enough to take this adventure, because it was absolutely clear that I want to do it, and I don't want to miss the chance.
"But it's also my character to believe more in the chances than the risks. There is absolutely for me personally nothing to be afraid of.
"I'm very grateful to do this job on this level. And I don't want to waste my time thinking about risks."
