Respected German newspaper Bild this morning reported that Tuchel had agreed a £2.5m compensation package with Dortmund bosses to go.
Dortmund finished third in the Bundesliga this season – 18 points behind Bayern Munich. On Saturday, Tuchel lifted the German Cup after a 2-1 win over Eintracht.
It was Dortmund’s first trophy in five years but that wasn’t enough to keep him at the club.
Tuchel had been in charge two years, losing just 10 of 68 Bundesliga matches.
The club have subsequently released an official statement and plans are already underway to appoint his successor.
What has Thomas Tuchel said?
Officially, in person, Tuchel is yet to speak.
However a Twitter account has emerged that has now been verified – of which the username is @TTucheloffical.
It has posted just three tweets, which read: “I am grateful for two beautiful, eventful and exciting years. It’s a pity that it will not go on. Thanks to the fans, to the crew, to the staff and to all who supported us. Wishes the @BVB all the best. TT. “
Why has Thomas Tuchel left Borussia Dortmund?
It appears there are multiple reasons for his departure.
Firstly, transfers. Last summer Dortmund’s three best players all left – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ilkay Gundogan and Mats Hummels. It’s thought that left the boss unhappy – because CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke had agreed not to sell them. Tuchel is said to have wanted Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak – and was left unhappy when he didn’t come.
Since then, relationships at BVB have become fraught. ESPN say Tuchel felt out with head scout Sven Mislintat, who had unearthed strikers Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He also had a tense relationship with club fans, with many believing he didn’t fit in with the Dortmund style.
In January, Watzke said anything but a top-three finish would mean the club have failed. Tuchel then had 18 months left on his current deal but talks on an extension were delayed.
After the team bus was hit by three explosions in April, Dortmund’s Champions League clash with Monaco was rescheduled for a day later. That was agreed with CEO Watzke – a decision Tuchel was angered by. His side then crashed out the competition.
Is Thomas Tuchel heading to Arsenal?
The short answer, it appears, is no. Express Sport understand Arsene Wenger will stay on as Arsenal boss with an announcement expected imminently.
However, in the past Tuchel has talked up the opportunity of replacing the Frenchmen.
Who will replace Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund?
Bild believe Lucien Favre, of Nice, and Cologne’s Peter Stoger are both possible options.
What have Borussia Dortmund said?
The club released a statement this afternoon, which read: “The eight-time German champion Borussia Dortmund and coach Thomas Tuchel are now separated from each other. This is the result of a conversation between Hans-Joachim Watzke (CEO), Michael Zorc (sports director), Thomas Tuchel and his advisor Olaf Meinking, which took place on Tuesday.
“We would like to thank Thomas Tuchel and his coaching staff for the sporting success at the BVB, which reached their deserved climax last Saturday at the DFB Pokalsieg in Berlin against Eintracht Frankfurt. For his professional future we wish Thomas Tuchel only the very best.
“Borussia Dortmund as an employer will not express itself in the background of the separation, which is the result of a longer process and is supported by all the club committees, and asks in the sense of all parties concerned for an understanding of the desire that not on the basis of rumors without any background.
“BVB attaches great importance to the fact that the cause of the separation is by no means a disagreement between two persons. The well-being of the club Borussia Dortmund, which is much more than the sporting success, will always be more important than individuals and possible differences between them.”
