VMany had already expected it to happen before the season started, and the signs had intensified in the past few weeks – and on Monday the club made it official: Chelsea FC dismissed coach Frank Lampard after a year and a half in office. “That was a very difficult decision and not one that was easy for the owner and the board of directors,” said a statement from the London Premier League club. However, the latest performances and results did not match the expectations and ambitions of the club. In addition, it was not possible to see how Lampard wanted to bring about an improvement – an unusually harsh judgment. After 19 games, Chelsea are only ninth in the table, qualifying for the Champions League is in danger. As recently as December, the club had moved up to the top of the table by just a few points.
The decision was no longer a surprise. Chelsea’s owner, billionaire Roman Abramovich, is said to be extremely impatient with his coaches. At first it looked like he wanted to initiate long-term development with former Chelsea player and fan favorite Lampard. This was supported by the fact that he gave him the equivalent of almost 250 million euros for access before the season – including the German national players Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. After only seven of 24 possible points from the past eight league games, he obviously no longer had confidence in the 42-year-old Lampard, who had only coached England’s second division at Derby County before moving to Chelsea in July 2019.
On Sunday, Chelsea won the FA Cup with Lampard on the bench against the second division club Luton Town 3-1 and is now in the round of 16. Last season, Lampard led Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League, qualifying the club for the Champions League and the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
The decision was not easy for him in particular, “not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and the highest respect for him,” Abramowitsch was quoted in the club’s statement. Lampard’s status as a club icon remains unaffected by the separation and the unusually clear words used to explain it: “He will always be warmly welcomed at Stamford Bridge.” the club does not. The former Mainz and Dortmund coach Tuchel is currently without a club since he was dismissed from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of December.
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