Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle to appoint Frank Lampard as interim head coach until the end of the season.
The Blues legend, who won the Premier League three times as a player at the club, will look to steady the ship at Stamford Bridge following the sacking of Graham Potter. Chelsea are currently 11th in the league, 14 points off the Champions League places, but do have a quarter-final Champions League tie against Real Madrid to look forward to.
Lampard was at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to watch the Blues' 0-0 draw against Liverpool and it's expected he will take training at Cobham on Thursday, Daily Telegraph reports. Of course, Lampard will already know his surroundings as he was previously Chelsea boss from July 2019 to January 2021.
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The end of his reign turned sour with Chelsea underperforming in the Premier League. The Blues released a statement on January 25, 2021 confirming his departure, but the club's wording at the time somewhat indicates a return was always on the cards.
The statement reads: "This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the Board have taken lightly. We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club.
"However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement. There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season."
Roman Abramovich, who was the Chelsea owner at the time, was also rather complimentary of Lampard. He said: “This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him.
“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.
“On behalf of everyone at the Club, the Board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as Head Coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”
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