Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made an extremely rare public statement after the club officially announced the sacking of manager Frank Lampard this morning.
The Russian is known for being very private and it is very rare for him to give interviews or speak publicly, but he’s quoted by Chelsea’s official site as expressing his sadness at parting ways with Lampard.
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Chelsea have been having a poor season and it’s not too surprising to see Lampard being shown the door, though it’s undoubtedly a move that will divide opinion due to the former England midfielder’s legendary status at the club from his playing days.
Lampard will always be remembered as one of Chelsea’s best ever players, but he hasn’t been able to repeat that success as a coach, with the west London giants currently as low as 9th in the Premier League table.
It is interesting, however, that Abramovich felt the need to comment on this difficult decision that the club made today.
Thomas Tuchel is the man set to replace Frank Lampard at Chelsea, in a German-focused plan that seems to have been devised to get Timo Werner and Kai Havertz on track… pic.twitter.com/gTgYyUxdkC
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 25, 2021
“This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,” Abramovich is quoted by Chelsea’s official site.
“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.
“On behalf of everyone at the Club, the Board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as Head Coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”
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