Ralf Rangnick explains why he snubbed Chelsea before Thomas Tuchel was appointed
Former RB Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick snubbed the chance to replace Frank Lampard temporarily
because he didn’t want to be a ‘lame duck’.
The German, 62, was approached by Chelsea to take charge until the end of the season but he rejected them and
the West Londoners ended up appointing Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues offered experienced Rangnick the job after Chelsea’s defeat to Leicester in January but the contract
length did not interest him.
Lampard subsequently lasted one more game – the 3-1 victory over Luton Town – before being sacked the day
after on January 25.
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And Rangnick has explained why he didn’t fancy the job on an interim basis in an interview with the Times.
He recalled a conversation with the club and explained: “‘I said: ‘I would like to come and work with you,
but I can’t do it for four months. I’m not an interim coach.
“To the media and players, you would be the ‘four-month manager’, a lame duck, from day one.”
The Blues eventually gave former Paris Saint-Germain manager Tuchel an 18-month deal to take the job
permanently. And Rangnick thinks Chelsea made a wise choice.
He added: “If you watch Chelsea now you see a mutual plan for when they have the ball or the other team
have the ball. Thomas is tactically on a very sophisticated level.
“Zsolt Low [Tuchel’s assistant] was my player and assistant coach at Leipzig and plays a vital role in his staff.
“And you can see from the way he interacts with players Thomas also has great leadership skills.
“Appointing him was a top solution. I can only congratulate Thomas and Chelsea for the choice.”
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