Frank Lampard's return to Chelsea, the club he both played for and managed, has been officially confirmed three years after his last stint there
Ben Crawford
11:30, 19 Jun 2026
Frank Lampard manager / head coach of Coventry City during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Wrexham AFC at The Coventry Building Society Arena
Frank Lampard has guided Coventry City back to the Premier League(Image: Getty)
Coventry City manager Frank Lampard will come up against his former club Chelsea on two occasions in the forthcoming Premier League season, with the dates for both fixtures now revealed. Following the release of the top-flight schedule, the Sky Blues are set to meet Chelsea in the Midlands on Boxing Day and at Stamford Bridge on March 3.
Following an outstanding Championship-winning season, Coventry have returned to the Premier League under Lampard's guidance. He assumed control in 2024 and has just been crowned LMA Manager of the Year, surpassing Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola for the honour.
Lampard is regarded as a Chelsea icon, having starred at Stamford Bridge between 2001 and 2014 while scoring a club-record 211 goals. His managerial career began in west London with Chelsea's youth setup, prior to his first senior position at Derby County.
His impressive work at Derby earned him the Chelsea first-team job in 2019. However, he lasted only 18 months before his departure, followed by a spell at Everton.
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In 2023, he made a return to Chelsea as interim manager and oversaw one of the statistically poorest spells in top-flight history. He suffered defeat in his opening six matches, becoming the first Blues manager to do so, and departed with just a nine per cent win rate.
Frank Lampard, Caretaker Manager of Chelsea, reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge
Lampard's caretaker spell at Chelsea was disastrous(Image: Getty)
This came a year and a half before Coventry appointed him, and the Blues legend is now gearing up for another campaign as a Premier League boss, which will see him face Chelsea on two occasions.
With the fixture list now confirmed, Lampard's first encounter against his former club is scheduled for Boxing Day at the Coventry Building Society Arena. His side will then meet the Blues at Stamford Bridge on March 3.
Following Coventry's promotion celebrations from the Championship, Lampard acknowledged that the city must maintain its unique character to thrive in the Premier League.
Lampard said: "It needs to remain a special place because it's been an incredibly supported club in the city, the tradition and history. There wasn't that feeling when I came in, and I know Mark [Robins] had done incredible work as a manager here, because of a lack of confidence and connection at the club.
Matt Grimes of Coventry City (L) and Frank Lampard, Manager of Coventry City (R), celebrate with the Championship trophy on the open top bus during the Coventry City Trophy Parade on May 04, 2026 in Coventry, England. Coventry City were crowned Champions of the Sky Bet Championship
Coventry are a Premier League side once again(Image: Getty)
"But we built that in the second half of last season to where it's a serious football club in this league, and you have to do that if you haven't been a Premier League team recently to go up. To be 12 points clear is amazing."
Businessman Doug King took sole ownership of the club in 2023, describing the prospect of Premier League football as "surreal." King added, speaking to Sky Sports: "The fans have been starved of it for a long time and you can feel it. Twenty-five years is a huge amount of time.
"If you don't bounce back you feel like it's never going to happen. Getting out of this league is very difficult and we did it. We got the whole city together. I'm super proud of everybody. They've had the whole season in front and it's not easy being a front-runner."
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