Since Maurizio Sarri left Chelsea for Juventus, the main rumoured replacement is Derby County’s Frank Lampard, and now, following talks between officials from both sides, it is looking as though a return to Stamford Bridge for Lampard is likely.
According to reports on the Evening Standard, Derby owner Mel Morris has said that Lampard joining Chelsea is inevitable at some point.
Lampard was very successful in his first season as a manager and the owners at Derby have been very impressed with him, which is probably why they think a return to Stamford Bridge is on the cards for the ex-Blues midfielder.
Talking to the media, Morris, who granted Lampard permission to speak to Chelsea, said:
Do I regret letting Frank talk to Chelsea? It is impossible in a situation like that. Let’s face it, when Frank met me for the first time, we talked about this opportunity and even then, you knew at some stage this was going to happen, you just didn’t know when.
This seemingly suggests that Lampard will be making a return to Chelsea, but Derby owner Morris has also said they still want him to stay with them for another season.
We talked about it, thought it would be some way off and it is not a done deal – I am still hoping this guy is going to manage us next season but it will happen whether it is now or sometime in the future. For Frank Lampard it is win, win. He can’t lose in this situation.
It is still up in the air about who could be the new manager, but following meetings between Lampard and Chelsea, it is looking like it’s just going one way.
