Frank Lampard CONFIRMED as Coventry manager as Chelsea legend returns to management after 18 months unemployed
FRANK LAMPARD has been announced as the new manager of Coventry City.
The Championship outfit have announced that the former Chelsea and Derby County boss will take over at the club.
Lampard has penned a two-and-a-half year deal with the Sky Blues, who currently sit 17th in the Championship.
A statement from the club read: “Coventry City are delighted to announce the appointment of Frank Lampard as the Club’s new Head Coach.
“The 46-year-old has signed a two and a half year contract with the Sky Blues and will take charge of City for the first time this Saturday against Cardiff City at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
“Frank will be supported by two new coaches, Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, who he has worked with extensively previously.
“Lampard has enjoyed an illustrious career in football, both on and off the pitch.”
While Coventry owner and Executive Chairman Doug King said: “I am delighted that Frank Lampard has agreed to join our club as Head Coach.
“Frank cut his teeth in the Championship and knows what is needed in this League to be successful.
“His experiences thereafter at Chelsea and Everton will ensure he brings to our talented squad clear understanding of exactly what is needed to succeed at the very top level that we as a Club are striving to reach.”
Frank Lampard's managerial record
Here's a look at Lampard's record as a manager...
Derby County May 2018 – July 2019
P57 W24 D17 L16 Win percentage 42.1%
Chelsea July 2019 – January 2021
P84 W44 D17 L23 Win percentage 52.4%
Everton January 2022 – January 2023
P44 W12 D17 L24 Win percentage 27.3%
Chelsea (caretaker) April 2023 – May 2023
P11 W1 D2 L8 Win percentage 9.1%
Overall: P288 W132 D72 L16 Win Percentage 45.83%
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Lampard is set to sit down in front of the press himself this afternoon.
Lampard, 46, last held a job in management in June 2023, when he spent two months as Chelsea’s interim boss.
Taking charge of just 11 games, Lampard managed to guide the Blues to only one victory.
The unsuccessful interim period came after Lampard had spent a season and a half in charge of his former club between 2019 and 2021, securing a top four Prem finish and making it to the FA Cup final,
The former England international also managed Everton between 2022 and 2023 where he helped keep the Toffees afloat in the Premier League.
While he began his managerial career in the Championship with Derby County where he narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight before earning his first move to Chelsea.
Lampard’s first game will come on Saturday as Coventry host Cardiff City at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
And fans have welcomed him to the club online, getting behind the Premier League hero already.
One said: “Time to get behind him now. Super Frank’s Sky Blue Army.”
A second wrote: “Always been better than Gerrard.”
A third commented: “Finally! Get in there.”
And a fourth said: “Welcome Frank! Time to kick on, and write a new chapter.”
Lampard's appointment is a kick in the teeth to Coventry faithful - fan's view
By Alex Johnson
It was always going to be tough to fill the boots of a club legend like Mark Robins, a manager who provided many Sky Blues’ with their best-ever memories supporting the club, but the arrival of Frank Lampard has gone down like a lead balloon among the Cov faithful.
In his Q&A appearance with fans after firing Robins, owner Doug King emphasised his intention to bring in a tactically minded head coach to get the best out of what is the most expensively assembled squad in Coventry City history.
To end up with Lampard, whose former assistant Jody Morris received a lot of the credit for his success at Derby County, feels like a kick in the teeth. This isn’t someone who has won league titles or been praised for his brilliant style of football in the slightest.
Combine this with reports of King’s “links” to the Redknapp family – Harry is Lampard’s uncle – and it makes you wonder if there was ever a proper search for the best head coach possible in the first place. King has been grilled by fans once this month and has serious questions to answer yet again.
Coventry fans will get behind Lampard and give him a chance. But to suggest he is an upgrade on Mark Robins after one playoff finish and a 9.1% win percentage in his last job is laughable.