Chelsea have confirmed that former player and club legend Frank Lampard will take over as caretaker manager until the end of the season, following the dismissal of Graham Potter on Sunday.
Lampard, who is Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals in 648 matches, returns to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in charge, having previously managed the club from July 2019 to January 2021.
He led Chelsea to a fourth-place finish and an FA Cup final in his first season amidst a transfer ban but was replaced by eventual Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel after a poor run of form in his second season at Stamford Bridge.
The club have released a statement about Lampard’s appointment that reads:
“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’s last managerial job was at Everton, where he was sacked in January after less than a year at the helm. He will be hoping to revive Chelsea’s fortunes and guide them to a top-half finish in the remaining matches and try to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
Chelsea are currently 11th on the Premier League table with 39 points from 29 matches and Lampard’s first game in charge will be against fourteenth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. They have failed to win three consecutive matches in the Premier League this season.
Soccer Scoop understands that Chelsea and Lampard have not discussed the possibility of the 44-year-old Englishman taking over after the season ends, as the club are still actively searching for a manager that will take over the managerial role on a permanent basis starting next season.
