Chelsea hired Thomas Tuchel as manager on Tuesday on an 18-month contract to replace the fired Frank Lampard.

Tuchel, a 47-year-old German, is back in work a month after losing his job at Paris Saint-Germain following a power struggle with the club. In his 2 1/2 years in Paris, he led the team to back-to-back French league titles and the Champions League final last season.

Before PSG, Tuchel coached at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

Lampard, a Chelsea great as a player, lasted 18 months before getting fired as its manager following a run of five losses in the last eight league games which threatens the team’s ambitions of a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

Chelsea, which spent nearly $300 million on new players for this season, is languishing in ninth place and next plays Wednesday at home to Wolverhampton.

Tuchel could attend the match by using an English pandemic allowance for workers flying into an elite sports environment to avoid full quarantine by testing negative for the coronavirus.

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