Frank Lampard Chelsea contract length and managerial record as Blues begin ‘exhaustive process’

Chelsea have now made a decision on their managerial vacancy, at least in the short term.

The Blues have decided to rehire former boss and club legend Frank Lampard to replace Graham Potter, who lasted a matter of months amid a hugely disappointing run of results. Chelsea spent big in the summer and in January, but as Lampard knows, transfer market investment only adds pressure, and Potter has fallen victim to that.

Amid the announcement of Lampard’s return, we have rounded up all you need to know about the decision.

How long will Frank Lampard be in charge?

Lampard will be in charge of Chelsea until the end of the season, with the club making it clear they will put together an ‘exhaustive’ search for a new permanent boss.

The Blues legend will pick up the mantle until the end of the season, retaking his former post, albeit on a temporary basis. Lampard know most of the squad well, and it’s hoped he can repeat previous success in securing European qualification for Chelsea, albeit it is unlikely to be of the Champions League sort this season.

In fact, Chelsea face a big task even to secure Europa League football, but if Lampard is going to put his career back on track, he may just need to ensure the Blues don’t spend next season without European football.

What have Chelsea said?

A Chelsea statement read: “Chelsea FC has announced that Frank Lampard has been named Caretaker Manager until the end of the season.

“The move marks a return to Stamford Bridge for Frank who enjoyed an illustrious playing career with the Blues, winning the Premier League on three occasions and the UEFA Champions League in Munich. He managed the club for 84 games, including guiding us to an FA Cup final.

“Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. 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 have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games.’”

Lampard’s previous record at Chelsea

During his first spell at Chelsea, Lampard oversaw 84 games, and he managed to win more than half of those games.

With a 52.4% win percentage, Lampard won 44, drew 17 and lost 23. To compare, Graham Potter managed a 39% win percentage over 31 games, while Thomas Tuchel managed a 60% record 100 games. Maurizio Sarri managed 62% and Antonio Conte 65% over 63 and 106 games respectively,

In terms of achievements, Lampard’s biggest at Chelsea was securing a top four finish despite a transfer embargo. Though, the Blues lost an FA Cup final to Arsenal and ultimately failed to kick on after significant spending.

Lampard’s career record

Lampard has only held two other managerial posts, aside from the one he held at Chelsea. In his first job, at Derby County, the former midfielder won 42.1% of his games and secured a spot in the Championship play-off final. The Rams were ultimately defeated by Aston Villa.

After Chelsea, Lampard rocked up at Everton, and things did not go well for him overall at Goodison Park. He won just 27.3% of games and he left after winning one of his last 11 games. Before then, he did secure safety for Everton in his first six months, but he left the Toffees in just as much trouble when he was sacked in January of this year.

Potential permanent appointments

Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is being linked with the Blues job, while the likes of Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino, Brendan Rodgers and Zinedine Zidane are all in the odds.

It’s likely Chelsea will take time to make their next appointment after seemingly mistepping with Potter, and Lampard will make his case. The risk with that strategy is that some of those names may get taken off the table between now and the summer, and in any case, some may want a club competing in the Champions League.