Joe Cole believes will be ‘kicking themselves’ after seeing sack their former managerial target .
German boss Tuchel, 49, lost his job last week after his 100th game in charge of Chelsea ended in defeat to opponents Dinamo Zagreb.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss guided Chelsea to three trophies after succeeding Blues legend Frank Lampard in January 2021.
But Chelsea had made an underwhelming start to the current season, dropping points in half of their league matches and beginning their European campaign with a 1-0 defeat in Croatia.
A day after Tuchel left Stamford Bridge, Chelsea appointed Graham Potter as their new manager from Brighton.
Cole has criticised Chelsea’s decision to sack Tuchel and claims one club in particular will be ‘kicking themselves’ following the German’s departure.
Manchester United expressed interest in poaching Tuchel from Chelsea earlier in the year but the experienced coach was committed to the Blues.
The Red Devils subsequently appointed former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Asked for his take on Tuchel’s sacking and the appointment of Potter, former England star Cole told the : ‘I’m happy to say I think it was the wrong decision to get rid of Thomas Tuchel. He connected to the Chelsea fans and he won trophies.
‘He was in a difficult period, that’s for sure, but getting rid of him was harsh. How was it handled? There’s no good way to get rid of a manger but I think the decision was wrong and they could have stuck with him.
‘Chelsea fans are used to getting [Antonio] Conte, [Jose] Mourinho… top manager. But to go with Graham Potter, I’m actually quite excited about that because that suggests to me that we’re going in a different direction and looking for stability.
‘For all of the success Chelsea have had, if we had stability like Man City have had with Pep [Guardiola], we could have had more.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. It’s okay saying he’s our manager for the next few years but what if we don’t get into the Champions League? That’s when the test is going to come.
‘But I’m excited because I love his brand of football. Only time will tell but maybe we can get more stability under the new owners.
‘I feel for Thomas Tuchel, it’s harsh because he’s a top manager. I tell you who will be kicking themselves a little bit: Man United. I bet they wish this happened three or four months ago.
‘I don’t know how the Ten Hag era will go – it’s looking promising at the moment – but Thomas Tuchel is exactly what Man United need. He’s the type of character who can galvanize a group. I think he’s different gear, Thomas Tuchel.’
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