Rio Ferdinand does not think Thomas Tuchel will be joining Newcastle United any time soon after he was sacked by Chelsea.
News broke on Wednesday morning that the German boss had been relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge, just hours after a Champions League defeat.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb, which appears to have been the final nail in the coffin for Tuchel.
He’s been sacked by new owner Todd Boehly, who will now look to appoint a replacement for the first time during his Chelsea tenure.
It hasn’t been a great start to the season, but it has came as a real shock to see Tuchel lose his job.
While speculation begins on who will replace him, another debate will be where does the 49-year-old go next? And that brings us to Newcastle.
Tuchel joining Newcastle? No thanks
After the announcement of Tuchel’s departure, former England defender Ferdinand went live on his official YouTube channel alongside Joel Beya.
The duo discussed where the former Dortmund manager could go next, and Ferdinand’s co-host suggested a move to St James’ Park in place of Eddie Howe.
However, Ferdinand completely disagrees.
“I think there are two reasons why I don’t think that will happen,” he said.
“Their project and their process is in play. They are very meticulous and methodical with that.
“I don’t think they are going to be a group that are going to be panic buying or panic judging situations. And Eddie Howe, you can see at the moment, the club is going like this (on the up) under his guidance and the staff they have around him. For that reason, I don’t think right now would be the time.
“Also, I don’t feel Newcastle is in a position right now for a Thomas Tuchel. Chelsea are a different level to Newcastle right now, with respect. PSG are a different level to Newcastle.
“I am not saying it’s a project he wouldn’t be interested in, but I think Newcastle will say ‘we are happy where we are right now. This isn’t the right timing for us’.”
Eddie Howe is the man on Tyneside
On both accounts, Ferdinand is right. It’s probably the first time in a while that Toon fans will actually agree with what Ferdinand has to say given his previous comments on Mike Ashley.
We simply shall ignore his previous misdemeanours for now and admit that he is spot on about Tuchel and Newcastle.
Firstly, we don’t need him. While he’s an excellent manager, we’ve got our own excellent manager in Eddie Howe. As Ferdinand says, the club has been on an upwards trajectory since he came in and that will hopefully continue.
Howe signed a new contract over the summer, and clearly has the backing of the Toon owners. Replacing him with Tuchel would be crazy.
It’s another example of outsiders thinking Newcastle should be going for big names and huge transfers now that PIF own the club. However, that is not the hierarchy’s style. They are process driven and have proven to be very sensible since taking charge.
Tuchel is on the lookout for a new job after his Chelsea departure, but he shouldn’t expect Newcastle to come calling any time soon.
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