Frank Lampard says there are ‘good people’ working at Chelsea behind the scenes as he returned to the club as interim manager on Thursday.
Chelsea sacked Graham Potter last Sunday, less than seven months after he moved to Stamford Bridge, and it was expected that until his replacement was found Bruno Saltor would take charge of the team.
However, in a shocking twist of events, club legend Lampard has returned to the dugout just over two years after he was sacked by the Blues
Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer is only back until the end of the season while the club’s hierarchy conduct a thorough search for a new permanent manager, though Lampard has more than hinted that he’d like the full-time job back.
Luis Enrique is the current favourite to be appointed, while Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers are also among the names heavily linked.
There has been much criticism aimed at Chelsea’s owners and chairmen, specifically Todd Boehly, for decisions they have made since buying the club a year ago.
These include the sacking of the various directors who worked under Roman Abramovich, Boehly appointing himself as sporting director, the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, the hiring of Potter and the seemingly aimless spending sprees that have left the club with a squad too big to effectively coach.
Fans and pundits have made their thoughts on the new owners well-known, but Lampard insists that those in charge of the Blues will move the club back in the right direction and he’ll help in any way he can.
The 44-year-old said: ‘From conversations I’ve had with the people running the club now, they’ve all been very positive.
‘I’m very experienced now in working at different clubs. You get an understanding of what you feel like is a club that has a vision and wants to move forward.
‘Of course, it’s about people at that point. Good people working in the right direction, collaborating and talking, trying to find the right way.
‘That’s the sense I’ve had in coming here. I’m ready to play my part in that process.’
Lampard’s words may need to be taken with a pinch of salt of course, not least as the previous clubs he’s managed at haven’t had the best of relationships with their owners.
Mel Morris was ousted out of Derby County after tanking them into administration and eventually relegation to League One just three years after Lampard lost the Championship play-off final with the Rams.
More recently at Everton, fans have been protesting against Farhad Moshiri’s ownership with the Premier League veterans at serious risk of relegation, though the Toffees’ chances have improved since Lampard was replaced by Sean Dyche in January.
Lampard’s first game back in charge of Chelsea will be away to Wolves on Saturday with the Blues 11th in the table, 14 points off the top four.
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