Chelsea have confirmed Frank Lampard’s sensational return as manager for the rest of the season.
The Stamford Bridge legend – who was sacked by the club in January 2021 after a season and a half in charge – will be in charge of Saturday’s journey to Wolves.
Lampard, 44, watched Tuesday night’s goalless draw against Liverpool, which did not help Bruno Saltor’s reputation as interim boss.
Chelsea confirmed Lampard’s appointment following a breakthrough in negotiations on Wednesday following a rapid chain of events after Graham Potter was sacked on Sunday evening.
Owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said Lampard would give the team “a clear and stable plan” until they appoint a full-time boss in the summer.
Frank Lampard will be back in Chelsea’s dugout as interim manager until the end of the season
Lampard broke through on Wednesday afternoon in talks with the West London club
“We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge,” they 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 give the club and our fans a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.
“We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all the attributes and qualities we need to propel us to the finish.
“We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we turn our attention to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full support as we strive to get the best possible result from all of our remaining games.”
Lampard has been out of work since Everton sacked him in January after just 12 months in charge, but he is now back in familiar surroundings trying to salvage Chelsea’s season.
Lampard was photographed leaving home with him as he was due to be at Chelsea’s base in Cobham this morning, taking training as he completes a sensational return to the club.
Lampard is a club legend who helped Chelsea win their first Champions League in 2012
Graham Potter was sacked by Chelsea on Sunday night with the club eleventh in the table
After the weekend trip to Molineux, Lampard will turn the spotlight on a massive Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, with the first leg next week at the Bernabeu.
The return of the club’s all-time top goalscorer is a boost to disillusioned fans as the club languishes from 11th in the Premier League as they look to make it to Europe next season.
His temporary appointment will allow Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to focus on their search for Potter’s permanent successor.
Chelsea held talks with former Spain and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique on Wednesday, including recently ousted Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann and ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Chelsea players are convinced that their next permanent boss will be Nagelsmann or Enrique.
Saltor was considered too inexperienced a coach to guide Chelsea for the remainder of the season as they attempt to improve their league position, as well as win the Champions League for a third time.
The Spaniard was also seen as being too close to the Potter regime, having moved with him from Brighton last September.
A 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa last Saturday proved to be the last act for Potter, who was sacked after serving less than seven months and just 31 games.
Bruno Saltor took charge of the team for Tuesday night’s goalless draw against Liverpool
Chelsea co-owners Behdad Eghbali (left) and Todd Boehly (right), seen at Potter’s appointment in September, are looking for another permanent coach
Luis Enrique held talks with the Chelsea hierarchy on Wednesday as they search for a new coach
Chelsea are also preparing for talks with Julian Nagelsmann (left) and Mauricio Pochettino (right)
The role also offers Lampard the chance to rebuild his reputation in comfortable surroundings after a turbulent year at Everton.
Lampard guided Chelsea to the FA Cup Final in 2020 during his time in charge, but they were beaten by Arsenal at Wembley.
Despite the handicap of a summer transfer embargo, Lampard guided them to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and improved the reputations of graduates Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James.
But after spending heavily in the 2020-21 season, Chelsea struggled midway through the season and sat ninth, on a run of just two wins in eight league games, when Lampard was replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January 2021.