Frank Lampard Derby

Lampard warned off unforgiving Chelsea job and told to complete apprenticeship at Derby

Frank Lampard has been warned off an unforgiving role at Chelsea by Darren Bent, with a former England colleague urging the current Derby boss to complete his apprenticeship with the Rams.

A Stamford Bridge legend only moved into coaching during the summer of 2018.

He was handed a prominent role in the Championship with which to cut his teeth and has delivered a play-off final berth and a shot at promotion to the Premier League in his debut campaign.

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Lampard is considered to have done enough to put himself in contention for more high-profile posts elsewhere.

He is among those said to be in the frame if Chelsea take the decision to part with Maurizio Sarri after just one season under the Italian’s guidance.

Strong ties to the Blues would make Lampard a popular appointment, but Bent believes it is too soon for the 40-year-old to be making such a sizeable jump up the managerial ladder.

The ex-Derby striker told The Mirror: “Frank has done a ­fantastic job, especially the way he’s kept them believing when it looked like they were going to fall short towards the end of the season.

“That’s a fine achievement for a first-time ­manager in his first year doing the job. I know there are Chelsea fans who would put him in charge at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, and I would agree that Frank is ­destined to manage at the top level.

“But you are talking about a ­different animal at Chelsea – the step up is massive.

“We’ve seen a lot of managers, who have been around a lot longer than Frank has, go there and fail. And we know it’s not a forgiving club, ­patience wears thin pretty quickly, and if you aren’t winning ­trophies within a year or 18 months, usually you’re out the door.

“I would like to think that whether or not Derby are promoted on ­Monday, another year is not going to do him any harm in the long run.”

Bent will be an interested observer of the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

He has ties to both finalists – Derby and Aston Villa – and is expecting a keenly-fought contest between two teams boasting creative talent in abundance.

He added, with Villa seeking to make amends for a final defeat to Fulham 12 months ago: “It would be so tough for Villa to cope with, reaching the ­play-off final two years running and losing them both.

“If Jack Grealish calls the tune, Villa have a great chance — but Derby have got Mason Mount, who can have the same effect on a game.”

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