: Frank Lampard: Chelsea appoint former midfielder as caretaker manager
Frank Lampard has been appointed as Chelsea’s caretaker manager, with the club saying they will carry out an “exhaustive process” to find a permanent boss. The 44-year-old, who was sacked by Everton in January, was previously in charge at Stamford Bridge from July 2019 until January 2021.
Lampard is aware that he may not be given the job on a full-time basis, but is determined to focus on the task at hand. He said: “I want to do the best possible role I can and after that we will see what happens. I am not getting anywhere ahead of myself.” His first game in charge will be away to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday before a Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The former midfielder is familiar with the club, having scored 211 goals in 648 games at Stamford Bridge. He said it was an “easy decision” to return and that he has “a lot of emotional feelings towards the club”. Lampard also knows that he will be compared to Roberto di Matteo, who led the club to Champions League glory as a caretaker before earning the job on a full-time basis.
Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: “We want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season. We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.”
The Blues are 11th in the Premier League, 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, despite having spent more than £550m on new players this season. Chief football writer Phil McNulty says Chelsea, after the Graham Potter debacle, are determined not to rush into an appointment and will conduct an exhaustive process. They want a manager of proven pedigree after what is now seen as a mistake in appointing the former Brighton boss.
Julian Nagelsmann, just sacked by Bayern Munich, and former Spain coach Luis Enrique are under the most serious consideration. Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is also expected to hold talks. Chelsea will regard Frank Lampard as someone who can keep them in a holding pattern and will be popular with supporters. He knows Chelsea and has recent managerial experience, although not exactly good managerial experience. He will have the respect of the squad on playing reputation alone.
It will also buy those working through the mechanics of appointing Potter’s successor time to forensically examine candidates before making a decision as sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley lead the vetting process. Frank Lampard is aware that he may not be given the job on a full-time basis but is determined to focus on the task at hand. He said: “I want to do the best possible role I can and after that we will see what happens. I am not getting anywhere ahead of myself.”
The 44-year-old is familiar with the club, having scored 211 goals in 648 games at Stamford Bridge. He said it was an “easy decision” to return and that he has “a lot of emotional feelings towards the club”. Lampard also knows that he will be compared to Roberto di Matteo, who led the club to Champions League glory as a caretaker before earning the job on a full-time basis.
Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: “We want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season. We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.”
Julian Nagelsmann, just sacked by Bayern Munich, and former Spain coach Luis Enrique are under the most serious consideration for the permanent role. Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is also expected to hold talks. Chelsea will regard Frank Lampard as someone who can keep them in a holding pattern and will be popular with supporters due to his playing reputation alone.
It will also buy those working through the mechanics of appointing Potter’s successor time to forensically examine candidates before making a decision as sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley lead the vetting process. Lampard will have the respect of the squad due to his playing career at Stamford Bridge and is determined to focus on his current role rather than trying to land the job full-time. He said: “I understand I will get asked that question a lot. I have my eyes wide open. The important thing for me is to park that and focus on the job in hand.”