Frank Lampard has emerged as a shock option for the vacant manager role at Chelsea after the former Blues player and coach was seen at Stamford Bridge. Lampard watched the 0-0 draw against Liverpool from the directors box as the search for the next man in the hot seat goes on.
The 44-year-old is yet to return to management after being sacked by Everton in January but is reportedly a consideration to take over temporarily at the club until the end of the season. No new manager has been appointed with a handful of options being considered by the co-sporting directors and ownership axis.
Bruno Saltor is the current occupier of the interim role after staying on Stamford Bridge once Potter had been sacked on Sunday night. He was in the dugout against the Reds on Tuesday and answered questions before and after the game. He has no experience of management though and could yet be replaced by the time Chelsea visit Santiago Bernabeu next week.
With the club keen to find a new permanent manager sooner rather than later, The Times write that Lampard has emerged as a "serious" candidate to be in place until the end of the season. This not only separates the Potter-Chelsea link with Bruno working under the 47-year-old at Cobham for the last seven months, it provides the fanbase with a popular figure to support and get behind.
Perhaps more than anything it allows for more time to seek out the next permanent manager with due diligence. Noises from the club indicate that this process is set to be thorough and extension as opposed to the quickfire snap decision to appoint Potter after sacking Thomas Tuchel.
Attempting make the correct call here with so many spinning plates and factors at play is hard enough, doing it with added time pressure of the Champions League is even tougher. Allowing Lampard to takeover briefly would shield the new man from the initial spotlight as well as giving more time to conduct interviews and have conversations with prospective coaches.
The list, which includes Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, is set to be at least five names deep with further outsiders also in consideration.
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