Frank Lampard spent just 18-months in charge of his beloved Chelsea before getting the axe from
the notoriously ruthless Roman Abramovich. In this video, we are going to take a look
at some likely destinations for Lampard as he continues his fairly young managerial career.
Chelsea progressed through to the next 5th round of the FA Cup,
but their form in the Premier League is what cost the former England midfielder his job.
With 19-games played, Chelsea were 9th in the Premier League table behind the likes of Aston
Villa, West Ham, Everton and Leicester, when they were expected to be challenging for a top
4 finish at the very least. However, many Chelsea fans would have wanted Lampard to have been given
more time as he was developing their young talent really well and they saw a bright future for their
club, which would have been built around a core of English players for the first time in a long time.
Lampard was allowed to invest heavily in the summer, with Chelsea spending more than
any other Premier League club and expectations for the season ahead grew significantly.
Usually, when a manager is given that kind of money to spend it is understood that he will be
given time to gel the players together, but as we all know, time is a luxury in the Premier League.
So what's next for Lampard? At 42-years-old, Lampard is still in the very early days of his
managerial career and already has two jobs under his belt, but who will be the next club to take a
chance on the Romford born manager and are there any clubs he has links to that would take him on?
We are going to look at some potential clubs in and out of England for Lampard,
starting with the least likely destination.
New York City or Red Bulls
New York Red Bulls suffered last season. Calls for a steady coaching staff were consistently
made throughout the campaign, as Red Bulls witnessed 3 head-coaches in one season.
NYRB came 6th in the East and ended up out of the Play-Offs in round 1.
Having played at New York City, it is one of the potential destinations for the future,
but I can't imagine Lampard going to manage in the MLS just yet but perhaps towards the
end of his career or if his stock drops so much that there is nowhere else to go.
Now turning our attention to England, as a player, Lampard spent time at West Ham, Swansea,
Man City and New York City, as well as Chelsea obviously, so could he take over at one of these
clubs? Well, West Ham are performing very well under David Moyes and there is no chance they
will be sacking him anytime soon. Swansea are gunning for promotion in the Championship and
I'm not sure that Lampard would want to take a step back into a lower division right now.
Man City, well, they have Guardiola and they are on their way to winning the league.
So, which other clubs could Lampard target in England?
Southampton
After making an incredible start to the 2020-2021 campaign,
Southampton have lost their way. Coach Ralph Hassenhutl did indeed find the
right formula with the team that beat some of the top 6 earlier in the season.
But recent results, including a 9-0 loss to Manchester United. This could be a potential
destination for Lampard, if the club decide to part ways with Hassenhutl, however the style
of play is usually a big factor at Southampton and maybe this isn’t a match made in heaven.
Cardiff City
Fighting for a place in the top 6 in the Championship, Cardiff City could make a change
if result turn sour and they would need someone at the helm that has experience in managing a team in
a similar situation. Not to mention, Lampard would relish the prospect of managing a team
that has a good chance of making it to the Premier League next season.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles are of course led by Lampard’s former England manager Roy Hodgson, who has
done an admirable job at his hometown club since the short spell of his predecessor Frank de Boer.
Hodgson’s current contract expires in the summer,
and there’s growing speculation that it won’t be renewed.
Since thumping West Brom 5-1 at the start of December, Palace have hit a rocky patch,
winning only one of their subsequent 10 games which includes an FA Cup exit. The Eagles have
nosedived to 14th in the table, but still have a healthy 10-point gap above the relegation zone.
Newcastle
Steve Bruce is said to be close to the end at Newcastle,
a big club that would provide a project for Lampard to get his teeth stuck into. Newcastle
are lingering too close to relegation and have lost some of their most influential players to
injury until the end of the season. With Fulham breathing down their necks, the pressure could
get to manager Steve Bruce and Lampard could be a potential replacement. However, with no transfer
window approaching and so many players injured, he won’t like that the lack of control at Newcastle.
Bournemouth
But earlier this week, Jason Tindall was sacked by Bournemouth and Lampard's name
was quickly linked with the vacancy. But as per Alex Crook, who wrote in the Daily Mirror,
Lampard is not interested in taking the job at the Vitality Stadium.
Lampard has connections to Bournemouth through his uncle Harry Redknapp,
but he has tipped former Blues defender John Terry to take the job on the south coast.
Sheffield Utd
Sheffield United is also a potential destination but as they’ve kept the faith with Chris Wilder
up to now it’s hard to see them giving him the boot after they finally started picking up a
few results. It looks too little too late in terms of staying in the Premier League but Wilder might
be doing just enough to keep his job to have another crack at The Championship next season.
England National Team
As long as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and any other ex-England player
is in management, they will always be linked to the England National Team.
For this one, though, any potential replacement to Gareth Southgate will have to wait until the
Euro 2021 competition concludes in the summer. So this is an unlikely option.
Elsewhere in Europe, there are teams like Marseille,
who recently parted ways with Andres Villas-Boas. But I simply don’t think Lampard and clubs in
non-English speaking countries in Europe are ready for each other. This leaves two serious options.
Republic of Ireland National Team
Coach Stephen Kenny was promoted to manage the senior National team after Mick McCarthy
left. But Kenny has not won a single game so far. So, the Republic of Ireland could
be looking to make a change in the coming months and Lampard’s name has definitely been discussed.
However, this job will not attract Lampard as much, especially since the squad isn’t
that strong anymore and they will not be participating in the Euro 2021 competition.
Now let’s talk about THE MOST LIKELY team that Frank Lampard could end up at.
Celtic
Neil Lennon has not impressed the Celtic fans this season and has been close to the
sack on a number of occasions. This could be the perfect job for Lampard to take on
as it would give him ample opportunities to win some trophies
and develop as a manager. The rivalry with Steven Gerrard at neighbours Rangers would
surely shine some more light on the Scottish Premiership and provide plenty of entertainment.
For now, this seems to be the most likely destination for Lampard for two main reasons.
From Lampard’s perspective, getting some experience outside England on his CV
will be good and Scotland would offer him a fresh start, not to mention a really good chance to
manage a top team with Champions League potential. The second reason is Celtic wanting him so bad.
The move will be great for Celtic and the Scottish League in general.
Two of the biggest names in the continent managing two of the biggest Scottish teams. The rivalry,
the headlines and the drama write themselves - it would be great for Scottish football.
Could Lampard follow former England teammate Steven Gerrard to Scotland
and take over at Celtic? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.