Frank Lampard has made a shock return to Chelsea, replacing Graham Potter as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
The Blues have been in talks with several candidates over the role since dispensing with Potter on Monday, just months after they landed him from Brighton at considerable expense, citing a lack of progress.
Candidates including Luis Enrique had been considered and spoken to by the Stamford Bridge club over the role on a longer-term basis, but they have now opted to fill the void for the final nine Premier League games of the campaign with a former employee.
Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement: “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.”
Lampard was in charge at the club between the summer of 2019 and January 2021, before going on to take over at Everton where he spent 12 months in the dugout, being sacked in January of this year. His Chelsea comeback marks a third time he has been employed by the club, having spent the bulk of his playing days with the Blues from 2001 to 2014.
While the short-term deal still leaves the managerial position vacant over the longer haul, Lampard’s immediate task will be to try and navigate a Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid, with the first leg taking place on 12 April.
Chelsea were led by Bruno Saltor in the midweek draw with Liverpool, following Potter’s dismissal.
Lampard’s first game back in charge will be at Molineux for Chelsea’s visit to Wolves on Saturday.
