(Reuters) – Frank Lampard has agreed to take over as Chelsea’s interim manager, The Times newspaper reported on Wednesday, as club owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali continue their search for a candidate to replace Graham Potter.
Potter was dismissed on Sunday after a string of poor results left the team 11th in the Premier League. Bruno Saltor, who was part of the coaching set up under Potter, took over for Tuesday’s 0-0 home draw with Liverpool.
Lampard, who was coach of Everton until January, will return to familiar surroundings at Stamford Bridge, where he was adored by Chelsea fans as the heart and soul of the club’s midfield during a trophy-laden 13 years as a player – before a much less successful spell as manager from 2019-2021.
The 44-year-old, Chelsea’s all-time top scorer with 211 goals, was sacked in January, 2021 after 84 matches in charge.
The former England international will be tasked with getting as much as he can out of what remains of Chelsea’s season after they spent almost 300 million pounds in the January transfer window.
Securing Champions League qualification for next season appears to be an uphill task for the London club, who are 14 points off the top-four with nine games left.
Their hopes of winning a third Champions League title remain alive, however, with a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid to be played this month.
Chelsea’s managerial position has been the subject of much speculation, with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique among the names linked to the job.
Former Spain and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has travelled to London to hold talks with Chelsea, local media reported.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, and Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)
