Manchester United legend Gary Neville takes swipe at Chelsea's ownership after Tuchel's sacking

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville poked fun at Chelsea after the Blues' new co-owners decided to sack Thomas Tuchel as head coach of the club just three months after completing the takeover.

Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard as the Blues manager in January last year, received a lot of flak for his team's poor performances in the new season. After the west London outfit slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their UEFA Champions League opener, the German was shown the door on Wednesday.

Announcing the decision of parting ways with Tuchel, Chelsea released a statement on their official website. The statement read:

"Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with head coach Thomas Tuchel. On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club."

It added:

"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition."

Taking to Twitter after the announcement, Neville jokingly compared new Blues co-owner Todd Boehly and former Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward. He wrote:

"Todd Woodward."

For the majority of the summer, Boehly acted as the interim sporting director for the west London outfit after Marina Granovskaia's exit.

According to The Telegraph, Boehly has identified Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter as the early favorite to replace Tuchel. Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane are also on the radar.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel helped the Blues lift the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2021 UEFA Super Cup trophies. He guided the club to a third-place finish in the Premier League last season.

Frank Leboeuf hits out at Chelsea's players after Tuesday's defeat

Speaking to ESPN, former France defender Frank Leboeuf slammed his former club for their lack of initiative during their recent 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their UEFA Champions League opener. He said:

"They play like robots. They don't want to take any risks, they want to do the minimum to survive and that's totally not what we expect from them. We expect them to face up and take some risks."

He added:

"I don't know what they can change because it's totally in their heads right now. I'm concerned. I love that club but I have to say the truth."

Chelsea are currently sixth in the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 10 points from six games. The club will next face London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday (September 10).