Frank Lampard completes sensational return as Chelsea caretaker manager

Blues legend says it was 'easy decision' to come back for second spell in charge of Premier League club

Frank Lampard was previously Chelsea manager from July 2019 until he was sacked in January 2021. AFP

Chelsea have announced the sensational return of Frank Lampard as their caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Lampard returns to the club where he was manager from July 2019 until he was sacked in January 2021 when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel's replacement, Graham Potter, lasted just 31 games and less than seven months in charge before he was sacked on Monday, following a 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa that saw Chelsea drop into the bottom half of the Premier League table.

They are 14 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, despite having spent more than £550 million on new players this season.

And while the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino have been linked with the job, Chelsea have decided to bring back the club legend Lampard for a second stint in charge.

"It's a pretty easy decision for me. This is my club. I have a lot of emotions and feelings," Lampard said in a press conference on Thursday.

"I've come with a belief I can come and help the cause until the end of the season. I'll give my utmost to give the fans what they want until the end of the season.

"There's a lot of talent in the squad. I'm excited to work with that talent and to help them.

"Really exciting. I was there on Tuesday [for the draw against Liverpool], it was the first time I'd been back since I left previously. It was an amazing buzz to be back at Stamford Bridge.

"It was a surprise in terms of you never know what decision the club will make. There's been a lot of change in the Premier League this season.

"It's a big challenge, but aren't they all? I have complete sympathy for all managers that lose jobs. I'm ready to put my work into this challenge and take it day by day."

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard had been out of a job since January when he left relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge.

“We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” Chelsea co-controlling 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 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.

“We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games.”

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Chelsea have nine Premier League games remaining this term, starting with Saturday's trip to Wolves, which is followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with European champions Real Madrid.

Lampard, Chelsea's record scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances between 2001 and 2014, watched from the stands on Tuesday evening as a Blues side managed by caretaker manager Bruno Saltor started the post-Potter era with a goalless draw against Liverpool.

He guided Chelsea to the 2020 FA Cup final, which they lost 2-1 to Arsenal, during his previous managerial spell at the club, having joined the Blues after one season at second-tier Derby.

The 44-year-old was sacked from his previous job at Everton with the Merseyside club sitting second bottom of the league, having lost nine of his last 12 games in the dugout.

Ex-Barcelona and Spain coach Enrique reportedly flew into London on Wednesday to meet Chelsea officials for talks about the full-time job. Nagelsmann, sacked recently by Bayern Munich and replaced with Tuchel, is also thought to be a frontrunner for the job long-term.