Frank Lampard’s second spell in charge of Chelsea has come to an end, with the Blues finishing 12th in the Premier League and 44 points – their lowest tally since 1987-88 when they were relegated. Lampard had previously been in charge of Everton, but was sacked by the Toffees in January after less than a year in charge. Everton had lost nine of their last 12 league games, slipping to second from bottom with just 15 points from 20 games. However, they secured their survival with a narrow victory over Bournemouth on the final day, with Leicester City and Leeds United joining Southampton in suffering relegation to the Championship.
Discussing his plans for the future, Lampard said: ‘I’ll have a break, it has been quite intense. I wasn’t in that mode, I had to get in the mode. I’ve given it my all, we’ll see what happens.’ Chelsea’s draw with Newcastle United on the final day was a fitting way for Lampard to say goodbye to the fans, and he said: ‘I think [we should have won]. We played like a Chelsea team should at home; more threat, more confident than we’ve been and we created chance. It was nice [to say goodbye to the fans], I really appreciate them. Chelsea fans understand the tough position we were in when I came here. Although we haven’t got the results we want this season, it is what it is. I’m not too nostalgic, I’ve got a great bond with the club and I’ll be back many times.’
Lampard was pleased to see his former club Everton avoid relegation from the Premier League, saying: ‘I’m really happy for Everton. I know there are people who care of that club; fair play, it is a huge football club and deserves to be in the Premier League.’ With Lampard’s second reign at Chelsea now over, ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is set to take over as the club’s sixth permanent manager in five years.