Frank Lampard’s days at Chelsea could be numbered, and reports are already circulating about who could be in the frame to replace him as manager at Stamford Bridge.
The 42-year-old looked a slightly risky appointment when he took over from Maurizio Sarri, with his only previous managerial experience coming at Championship club Derby County.
Still, Lampard is a Chelsea legend and that clearly boosted his prospects in terms of landing this big job, but it seems he’s now used up all that good will.
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Chelsea’s latest defeat to Manchester City has put Lampard under huge pressure, and the Express have listed four candidates who seem the most likely to replace him as Blues boss.
Mauricio Pochettino is no longer available after taking over at Paris Saint-Germain, but that means the man he’s replacing, Thomas Tuchel, is now free, and he’s linked as one option for Chelsea.
The German tactician did some impressive work at PSG, leading them to the Champions League final last season, and he’s also previously looked an exciting coach with his work at Borussia Dortmund.
Also on the list is Massimiliano Allegri, who remains out of work despite achieving so much at Juventus and AC Milan earlier in his career. The Italian tactician would surely be very warmly welcomed at CFC after all the trophies he’s picked up in recent years.
Julian Nagelsmann is another name mentioned by the Express, and he’s perhaps the most highly rated young coach in Europe at the moment after doing great work at RB Leipzig.
Finally, Chelsea could also raid Premier League rivals Leicester City for Brendan Rodgers, who has been linked with big jobs like Arsenal in recent times, though he’s yet to get back to a big six club since his time at Liverpool.
The Northern Irishman has done well at Leicester, however, showing that a job like Chelsea could definitely be at his kind of level.
The clock is surely ticking for Lampard, and it will be interesting to see if one of these managers is soon replacing him in the Chelsea dugout.