LONDON – Ninth in a congested Premier League table and with just two wins in their last eight league games, Chelsea confirmed on Monday morning that it had fired Frank Lampard, one of the club’s greatest players, from his post head coach after 18 months on paper.
Chelsea’s recent fall, despite a handful of expensive summer signings, has not only dashed any remaining hopes of contentment for the Premier League title, but has also jeopardized the club’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, the richest club competition in Europe. Chelsea’s board said in a statement that an immediate move was the only option “to give the club time to improve performance and results this season”.
Such is Lampard’s position at Stamford Bridge – where he spent 13 years as a player, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cup and Champions League titles and establishing himself as the leader of Chelsea’s career goals – that Roman Abramovich, the lone Russian owner of the club, took the rare step of explaining his departure to the team’s fans.
“It was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank,” said Abramovich, a silent presence in his 17 years at the club, in a statement on the Chelsea website. “I have the greatest respect for him. He is a man of great integrity and has the highest work ethic. However, in the current circumstances, we believe that it is better to change managers. “
Lampard took over in the summer of 2019, thanks to one season’s experience as a manager on the Derby County championship team. In his first year at Chelsea, he took the club to a deserved fourth place in the Premier League, despite the club losing its star, Eden Hazard, to Real Madrid and working under the restrictions of a transfer ban imposed by FIFA.
The stakes this season have probably always been higher: Chelsea spent $ 300 million on new players last summer, despite the economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with the aim of challenging Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title .
Under these growing demands, Lampard has struggled. Two of the summer’s most expensive signings, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, made little impression, and the club dropped out of the title race in the middle of the season.
Fearing that next season’s Champions League qualification was at risk, the club felt they had no choice but to act. Chelsea are expected to appoint Thomas Tuchel, the former Paris St.-Germain coach and Borussia Dortmund, as Lampard’s replacement.
“We are grateful to Frank for what he achieved in his time as a club coach,” the club said in a statement confirming his resignation. “However, recent results and performances have not lived up to the club’s expectations, leaving the club in the middle of the table without any clear path for sustained improvement.”