Phillip Cocu has been appointed as Frank Lampard’s successor at Derby, with the former Barcelona midfielder penning a four-year contract with the Rams.
The Championship outfit have moved quickly to fill a coaching void at Pride Park.
Confirmation of Lampard’s departure for Chelsea only arrived on Thursday, but Derby have a new manager in place less than 24 hours later.
Ex-Netherlands international Cocu arrives in England having been out of work since leaving Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2018.
Prior to that, he had spent time in charge of PSV and working as an assistant manager with the Dutch national team.
He is to be joined at Derby by Chris van der Weerden and Twan Scheepers, while Shay Given will be staying on as goalkeeping coach.
Cocu told the club’s official website of his appointment: “I am pleased and honoured to confirm that Derby County will be my new club and can’t wait to meet with the team and the fans to start this adventure together.”
Executive chairman Mel Morris added on the Rams’ decision to land the 48-year-old: “We are delighted to welcome Phillip Cocu as our new manager.
“We are continuing to develop our philosophy at Derby County and from the first conversation with Phillip, and his team, it was very clear they share similar views.
“The fit is strong. We want to build on the momentum that we have in our style of play, our club values, and the increasingly important role of our Academy. Phillip and his team understand the need and benefits of this approach.
“We had very specific criteria for identifying a new manager.
- Style of football
- Managerial success at a high level
- Developing and improving both young and experienced players
- Distinguished playing career
- Building player value
- Similar philosophy and values as Derby County
- Experience and desire to harness data analytics and sports science
“Phillip has an excellent track record of achievement in his managerial career with a proven ability to develop players to drive both tangible success and value. We are looking forward to Phillip leading us into the new season.”
Like Lampard before him, Cocu was an iconic midfielder in his playing days.
He earned 101 caps for his country and took in memorable spells with Vitesse, PSV and Barcelona – with close to 300 appearances to his name for the Blaugrana across six years at Camp Nou.
