In a twist for the ages, Chelsea have brought in their legendary former skipper, and more importantly, former manager Frank Lampard, to take over for the rest of the season after the dismissal of Graham Potter last week.
After the rumours broke on Wednesday, the side have now confirmed the news with a statement on their official website.
'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," said Todd Boehly, who is the club's co-owner.
Lampard was in the stands for Chelsea's drab 0-0 draw with Liverpool. He will take charge of the team on Thursday, April 6, and will be in the dugout for their weekend fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
This will be a second stint under the tutelage of Lampard for Chelsea. In his first stint with the Premier League club, he was replaced by current Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, having been in charge of the side from July 2019 to January 2021. He secured 44 wins from 84 matches but picked up five defeats in his last eight league games.
Lampard had a much better time with the side as a player. He is the club's record goalscorer with 211 goals to his name and won a plethora of trophies with the side as their midfielder and club captain.
With nine matches plus their Champions League matches left to go, a lot will be riding on how Lampard leads the side. Reaching the UCL this season might be tough, with the Blues languishing in the 11th spot, but their hopes of winning another Champions League trophy will be the main agenda on the Englishman's mind.
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