Chelsea Football Club announced the surprising return of Frank Lampard as caretaker manager on Thursday, just over two years after he was sacked by the Premier League club.
Lampard, who is Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, before being replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
The 44-year-old’s unexpected comeback to Stamford Bridge came after Tuchel’s successor, Graham Potter, was dismissed on Sunday with the club struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League.
In a statement, Chelsea’s co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said, “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.” The statement also highlighted Lampard’s characteristics and qualities that are deemed suitable to drive the team towards the finish line.
Lampard had been out of a job since January when he was sacked by relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge.
Chelsea currently has nine league games remaining this season, including a crucial trip to Wolves on Saturday, followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against holders Real Madrid.
Lampard was seen in the stands on Tuesday as a Chelsea side managed by caretaker boss Bruno Saltor started the post-Potter era with a goalless draw against Liverpool.
Despite spending over £500 million ($623 million) on new players this season, Chelsea finds themselves in 11th place in the Premier League table, 14 points adrift of the top four.
Reports suggest that former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique flew into London on Wednesday for talks with Chelsea officials about the full-time job.
In-demand German manager Julian Nagelsmann, who was recently sacked by Bayern Munich, is also considered a contender.
During his previous managerial spell at Chelsea, Lampard guided the club to the 2020 FA Cup final, which ended in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal, after joining the Blues from a one-season stint in charge of second-tier Derby.
