Frank Lampard has impressed since joining Coventry City
Frank Lampard has impressed since joining Coventry City
Frank Lampard could yet manage Chelsea for a third time, according to former team-mate William Gallas. The ex-England midfielder has enjoyed an encouraging start to life in charge of Coventry in the Championship to rebuild his coaching reputation.
Lampard has coached Chelsea twice before. The Stamford Bridge legend first secured Champions League football for the club bringing through young talent such as Reece James and Mason Mount following a transfer embargo, but lost his job the next season to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
The Premier League legend's second spell was also under difficult circumstances. The 46-year-old was only able to muster one win from 11 games in a stint as caretaker boss after Graham Potter was sacked by the Blues in 2023.
Those spells sandwiched a rollercoaster time at Everton, where Lampard helped the club maintain their Premier League status but was handed his marching orders for being drawn into a relegation battle in his first full season. After taking over the club in 17th in November, Lampard has helped drive Coventry into play-off contention amid a record run.
The Sky Blues boss will be dreaming of managing in the Premier League once again, and Gallas believes that should be Lampard's next step. The French central defender is not ruling out Chelsea's top goalscorer making yet another return to the club after that however.
"After what happened to Frank Lampard, we had to be patient. He is doing well right now with Coventry City, if he can give them the chance to get into the Premier League that would be the best thing for him," Gallas told Spin Genie.
"But you never know, he could go back. That’s why it’s good for him to improve and do something really good with another Premier League team in the future, maybe helping them into Europe in the Europa League or Champions League.
Frank Lampard congratulates Haji Wright
Frank Lampard has guided Coventry City into the play-offs ( Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"That would give him more experience and then one day, we could see him at Chelsea again. But right now, I don’t know.
"The best thing that can happen for him now is Coventry City to go to the Premier League. That will be the best story for him."
Coventry sit in fifth place in the Championship on 59 points, two points ahead of West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City. Lampard's side last beat fourth-placed Sunderland, to bounce back from defeat against his former team, Derby County.
"Every bit of the performance I loved," Lampard said after his side won a sixth game of their last seven. "From the first minute in the first half, it's the best we've played since I've been here and everything you want from a performance. No real threat from them, really.
"Then in the second half, it's a dangerous result but never felt too much like that. They had a couple of chances but we pushed again, we dealt with the game and we got our third goal.
"So absolutely delighted with the team as a whole, the squad, great going into the break off the back of that."
"Well we've come a long way from where we were when I came in," Lampard added. "It's a really good run of accumulating points and improved performance. We're in the play-off positions, that's great but there's going to be twists and turns as we go.
"If we can perform like we played today, we'll make the play-offs. It's as simple as that. So the onus is on us to continue that."
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