According to reports, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital may bring back Frank Lampard to serve as Chelsea’s interim manager for the rest of the campaign. Lampard watched the Blues’ 0-0 draw with Liverpool in their first match of the post-Graham Potter era, which ended less than seven months, on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge.
With the dismissal of the former Brighton manager on Sunday, Bruno Saltor, his former assistant, assumed control of first-team activities for the evening and is likely to hold that position until a permanent replacement is found. The Sun claims that Frank Lampard, who was fired as Everton’s manager earlier this year, may be the better choice for Chelsea, at least for now.
Chelsea back to square one after Frank Lampard is linked again with the job
Following a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea decided to axe Potter after just seven months in charge. The 47-year-old has only managed four victories for Chelsea this calendar year, placing the team in 11th place in the Premier League standings, 12 points outside of the Champions League spots. The club’s staff of sporting directors will be in charge of finding Potter a long-term replacement before co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali make the final call.
Meanwhile, according to rumours, Boehly might rehire Frank Lampard to serve as manager for the remainder of the campaign. As Manchester City humiliated Chelsea at home in January 2021, Lampard’s final stint with Chelsea came to an end when he was fired as the manager. The club then explained that the ‘results and performances’ under the former midfielder had fallen short of the required calibre in their statement announcing the news.
Despite returning to Chelsea during a transfer embargo and being unable to bolster his team, Lampard led Chelsea to a top-four finish and the FA Cup final in his first season in the role of head coach. However, the illustrious midfielder paid the price for a miserable run of five losses in eight league games after being given access to a wide range of new acquisitions in his second signing.
The irony that the club is still in the same location as it was when he left might strike the fans, both theirs as well as their rivals’. Shortly after Frank Lampard was fired, Thomas Tuchel took over at Stamford Bridge, and in his first half of the season, he won them the Champions League, eventually ending his reign after having added the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup as well.
Chelsea fans saw more of the same on Tuesday night as their wide variety of attackers squandered a lot of presentable opportunities, as they apparently suffered from the ‘Potter syndrome’ with a lack of a clinical edge and their inability to put teams away. After the game, current interim boss Saltor stated it had been ‘difficult’ for him to enjoy the evening since it was his first experience with top management. The Brighton legend said:
“It’s been a really difficult 48 hours for everyone because it’s not the first time the players have been in this situation this season and they have suffered. As a player you invest a lot in the manager. They had a great relationship with Graham and he has been really supportive with them after leaving. It was truly difficult for me to enjoy tonight. It’s been a really sad time but I’ve just been trying to focus on being the best version of myself to help the boys.”
When asked if he expected to stay at his role until the end of the season or not, he replied:
“As it stands I just expect to go home to rest and focus on hour by hour, day by day. The owner know the staff are going to be as professional as we can. We try to represent this club the best we can. We know the standards here and what is demanded.”