Chelsea appoint Frank Lampard as interim manager until the end of the season

Frank Lampard is back for a second spell as Chelsea manager.

The former Chelsea legend and all-time top scorer was appointed as the team’s interim manager for the remainder of the 2022-23 season on Thursday. Lampard takes over after Chelsea fired Graham Potter this week and is the Blues’ fourth manager this season after Bruno Saltor was responsible for the team’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool this week.

Lampard started the season at Everton but was sacked as manager of the Toffees in January after a miserable start to the season. His second appointment at Chelsea runs until the end of the season as the team eye other managers such as former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann and former Spain coach Luis Enrique as their next permanent manager.

“We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement. “Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and comprehensive process for a permanent head coach, we aim to present the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season. We want to give each other every chance to succeed and Frank has all the characteristics and qualities we need to get us where we want to be.”

Lampard’s priority as the team’s interim boss is success in the Champions League. Chelsea are currently 11th in the Premier League standings and 14 points adrift of the top four. It’s basically impossible for the Blues to qualify for next season’s Champions League via the league table.

That means Chelsea’s best shot at Champions League football next season is a Champions League title. Chelsea are one of eight teams remaining in the Quarters after beating Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16. But the Blues have defending champions Real Madrid in the quarters after Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League a season ago.

Chelsea’s rocky section

Lampard’s first stint as a Chelsea manager lasted less than two years. He was appointed in July 2019 and left the club in January 2021, having won 44 of their 84 games in all competitions during his tenure.

The story goes on

He was replaced by Thomas Tuchel in 2021 and Tuchel led the team to a Champions League title months later in a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Chelsea finished the 2020-21 season in fourth place in the Premier League standings, having been third a season ago.

But the Blues got off to a bad start despite massive transfer spending in the summer and fired Tuchel – Bayern Munich’s recently appointed manager in place of Nagelsmann – in September. Chelsea then hired Potter to replace Tuchel but the team had a stunning inability to score. Chelsea have only scored 29 league goals in 29 games. Leaders Arsenal have scored 70 goals and Manchester City have scored 71 goals.

Being a manager at Chelsea hasn’t been a long-term affair lately. Since 2010, 13 different interim and permanent managers have led the team in 14 positions. And the upheaval in management continued despite new owners.

Chelsea were sold to Boehly’s ownership group in Spring 2022 after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the team after owning the club for 19 years.