- Blues back in the market for a new boss
- Have turned to a familiar face for assistance
- Second spell at the helm for fan favourite
WHAT HAPPENED? The 44-year-old, who spent 13 years in west London as a player, has answered an SOS call from his former employers after seeing them forced back into the market for a new manager. Potter was relieved of his duties after just 31 games at the helm and no permanent successor has been appointed before the end of the 2022-23 campaign - despite strong links to the likes of Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann.
🏆 TOP STORY: Frank is back! Lampard taking first Chelsea training
📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Does Lampard's Chelsea return prove Boehly has NO IDEA?
🚨 MUST READ: PSG would be CRAZY to keep Messi
THE BIGGER PICTURE: That has given Lampard an opportunity to take the reins again some two years after he was given his own marching orders by the Blues. The ex-England international left a prominent Premier League post in January 2021 after collecting 44 victories from 84 games at the helm and was also given the boot by Everton in January of this year after 12 months at Goodison Park.
WHAT THEY SAID: Co-owners Todd Boehly and behdad Eghbali told the club's official website: "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."
AND WHAT'S MORE: The former midfielder reportedly returned in Cobham this Thursday, according to various outlets such as Sportsmail, to take his first training session with his new squad. He will be joined by fellow Blues legend Ashley Cole, as well as Joe Edwards and Paul Clement, who have also enjoyed spells in west London.
Next Match
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty
Getty
DID YOU KNOW? Lampard's appointment means N'Golo Kante will play under four different managers (Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Lampard) in five consecutive matches, due to his long-term injury which saw him out of action between August and March.
WHAT NEXT? Lampard returns to Stamford Bridge with Chelsea sat 11th in the Premier League table and back in charge of a squad that has seen £600 million ($748m) invested in it across the last two transfer windows. His first game back will see the Blues take in a trip to Wolves on Saturday – with the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu to follow next Wednesday.
