Grant advises Lampard on how to avoid Chelsea axe as patience is urged from Abramovich

Avram Grant, a man who knows all about the pressure that comes with managing Chelsea, has advised Frank Lampard on how to steer clear of Roman Abramovich’s axe at Stamford Bridge.

Another change in the dugout is being mooted in west London after an inconsistent start to the 2020-21 campaign.

There have been signs of progress, with a 16-game unbeaten run taken in at one stage.

An expensively-assembled squad has, however, taken just four points from its last six Premier League outings to slip off the title-chasing pace.

With Abramovich having invested heavily in new recruits last summer, Lampard is expected to deliver an immediate return.

He has vowed not to quit his post, but that decision may be taken out of his hands if results do not improve.

Grant, who succeeded Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2007, believes the Blues legend remains the right man to carry the club forward.

The Israeli has, however, told Lampard that “fighting spirit” and “patience” will be required in order to keep his job and ultimately hit the targets that have been laid out for him.

Grant told Sky Sports: “What I can say to Frank and the others at the club is be patient, and, more than this, do whatever it is necessary to do, that's for sure.

“Two things: never lose it even when things are going well, don't lose your fighting spirit at the highest level.

“And second, don't lose what you have here [points at head] you need to think right and look for solutions.

“If you do that then everything will be okay because the quality is there and there is a potential like there was [at Chelsea] in my time.”

He added: “About the current situation I can say only this: You need to be strong when things are not going well, when things are going well everyone is a genius and knows what to do.

“But in the situation like this when things aren't going well you need to be strong, look for solutions and show a lot about your character.”

Lampard, who spent 13 years with Chelsea as a player, claims to be unfazed by the questions that are being asked of him, with the ex-England international aware that life in a prominent Premier League post would present plenty of challenges.

He has said: “The reality is that one month ago and at the beginning of the season there was talk over whether we could win the league, but I was pretty sure of the fact of where we were at in terms of the ban and the rebuild and the youth.

“I knew there would be periods of pain we would go through as a club.”