Frank Lampard: Chelsea confirm stunning return of former midfielder as caretaker manager until end of season
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Updated 06/04/2023 at 15:31 GMT
In a stunning move, Premier League side Chelsea have confirmed that they have brought back former midfielder and manager Frank Lampard to coach the team on an interim basis until the end of the season. The club fired Graham Potter after the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa and had been linked to both Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique but instead have turned towards Lampard.
'This is my club' - Lampard 'delighted' to be appointed Chelsea caretaker manager
Chelsea have confirmed the stunning return of former midfielder and manager Frank Lampard as caretaker boss until the end of the season.
The London club fired Graham Potter on Sunday after the 2-0 loss to Aston Villa that left them 11th in the Premier League table. Bruno Saltor was named as the interim manager while the club conducted their search.
They were initially linked to former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann as well as former Spain manager Luis Enrique.
However, the club have now turned to Lampard, who was out of work after being sacked by Everton earlier in the season, to take the remaining matches and try to push the team into the European places.
"It's a pretty easy decision for me," said Lampard. "This is my club, I have a lot of emotions here. I'm also a very practical person. I've been on a different path.
"I'm delighted to get the opportunity and thankful for that. I'm confident in myself. I have a good understanding of the squad and worked with a lot of them before.
"I have my idea about where I want to go.
"Credit to Bruno who took the team and Graham Potter, who I don't know that well but he's a good man. I have my own ideas."
Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali added: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, 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.
"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."
There will be a search for a permanent manager in the summer at the end of the season, with Enrique understood to have held talks with Chelsea earlier this week.
Lampard joined Chelsea in 2001 from West Ham and went on to make 648 appearances for the club during which time he won three Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League.
After beginning his managerial career with Derby County he was appointed Chelsea manager in July 2019. He led the club into the top four in his first season and navigated a transfer ban as well as bringing through academy players such as Reece James, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham.
However, he was fired in January 2021 with the club struggling, and his replacement Thomas Tuchel went on to win the Champions League the same year.
Tuchel was fired earlier this season by the new owners and was replaced by Potter, who lasted only a matter of months in charge.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement