Chelsea sack Lampard LIVE: Abramovich issues statement as Thomas Tuchel to be appointed new manager
Frank Lampard has been sacked by Chelsea and is set to be replaced by the former PSG manager Thomas Tuchel
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Chelsea have sacked head coach Frank Lampard today, with former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel set to replace him.
Chelsea defeated Luton Town 3-1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday thanks to a Tammy Abraham hat-trick, but it appears that result has not relieved the pressure on Lampard, whose side have underwhelmed in the Premier League this season despite the club having spent £222m on transfers last summer. The Blues brought in striker Timo Werner, midfielders Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, defenders Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva, as well as goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, but sit ninth in the top-flight table on 29 points – 11 behind leaders Manchester United at the exact midway point of their Premier League campaign.
Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard was appointed head coach at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2019/20 season following a term as manager at championship side Derby, a role that marked the first senior coaching role of his career. And the 42-year-old’s inexperience at the top level has told this season. Follow live updates below as the news emerges.
‘HE COULDN’T TURN DOWN CHELSEA’
The big takeaway from the reaction of most Premier League managers is that Frank Lampard needed time to implement his vision at Chelsea and Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has added his thoughts to the conversation.
He said that Lampard couldn’t turn down the chance to take over the club he spent 13 years at as a player even though he was lacking experience:
Clearly I'm really sad for Frank and his staff. I know how much the club means to him.
"Looking at the squad and how young they are, they need time. He hasn't been given that time. I really feel for him. He did great at Derby.
"He had the courage to step out of an amazing career and could have taken an easier route. It was a job he couldn't turn down, even though he didn't have a lot of experience.
"Results haven't been what he would have wanted, but I feel it's a job that needed time."
‘EXPECTATIONS COST LAMPARD’
Gary Neville insists “expectations” cost Frank Lampard after Chelsea’s lavish outlay last summer.
Lampard a victim of ‘expectations’ after Chelsea sacking, says Neville
The Blues have opted to move on after 18 months under Lampard
‘LAMPARD A CHELSEA ICON’ - ABRAMOVICH
A rare farewell message from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich accompanied Chelsea’s official statement about Lampard’s departure. Here’s what he said:
Chelsea owner Abramovich speaks out on Lampard sacking
Former Blues midfielder is expected to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel
‘YOU NEED TIME WHICH CHELSEA DON’T GIVE’
Speaking of talkSPORT Harry Redknapp, former Tottenham boss and Frank Lampard’s uncle, says managers benefit from the ups and downs of a prolonged period at a club which doesn’t seem to be the case at Stamford Bridge. He said:
They've been on a bad little run, but so has everybody. This is a different time for football, it is almost a different game with no fans.
"Jurgen Klopp's going through a bad spell. Does that suddenly make him a bad manager? He will come out of it again as we all know, but you need time. You will have your ups and downs.
"Alex Ferguson survived by the skin of his teeth when the board looked like they would sack him after 18 months or two years at Old Trafford where he hadn't won anything.
"Suddenly he goes on to arguably be the greatest manager we've ever seen. You need time and unfortunately at Chelsea it seems a club where they don't seem to give time."
WEST HAM’S MOYES DISAPPOINTED
West Ham boss, David Moyes, is disappointed over Frank Lampard’s dismissal saying that Lampard was one of the ‘most up and coming English managers’. At a press conference Moyes said:
I'm disappointed for Frank as I saw him as one of the most up and coming young English managers in the country.
"It's a big thing we try to encourage our own British managers into the big leagues, if we can. I'm sure he'll come back and learn from it.
"He did a great job last year. He did a really good job with so many youngsters coming through the academy.
"It seemed a little bit harder for him this year. I'm sure he'll take time off, come back and get better."
‘TRANSFER EMBARGO SHIELDED LAMPARD’
Former Manchester United and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says Chelsea’s transfer embargo shielded Frank Lampard in his first season in charge of Chelsea but with the addition of new signings last summer came added pressure to perform. Neville said:
Frank [Lampard] has had a short amount of time with a new set of players. He was given a period under a transfer embargo, it shielded him, he did a great job in that period but the minute they spent the money they did, it was always going to bring more expectation and we know what happens at Chelsea when expectation comes.
"When you have one of the biggest budgets in the league and biggest spend, expectation comes with it and at Chelsea their approach to managers has been consistent and Frank knew that when he got the job.
"Frank won't want people to feel sorry for him, he'll have an understanding that he went into a club that has always been like this with managers. The results and inconsistent form has cost him. As a club legend we maybe all thought he'd get a bit more time."
HOW WILL LAMPARD’S DEPARTURE AFFECT CHELSEA’S ACADEMY?
Lampard’s coaching staff and Chelsea’s transfer ban broke the bottleneck and provided opportunities for academy graduates in the first team. Now, inevitably, there are concerns over whether those opportunities may dry up again.
How Chelsea’s academy finally came of age
Special report: Over a course of interviews this season, Chelsea academy graduates past and present reveal how Frank Lampard’s return has sparked a revolution 15 years in the making at the club
‘YOU HAVE TO WIN OR YOU’LL BE REPLACED’
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says that results are crucial for any manager and if you don’t get positive ones then your job is at risk. Guardiola said:
People talk about projects and ideas, they don’t exist. You have to win or you will be replaced.
"I am not judging Chelsea’s decision. I respect their decision. But our world is to win as much as possible. The sporting directors and CEOs want things quickly but every manager needs time to do what they believe. That happens in a few places around the world. In one month you can drop everything you build because other teams have good players too. Then you are at risk.
"I hope to see Frank soon and go to a restaurant with him when lockdown finished."
HODGSON SADDENED BY DECISION
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Crystal Palace vs West Ham tomorrow, Palace boss Roy Hodgson says he’s saddened by the decision to let Lampard go who, he thought, deserved more time. Hodgson said:
It saddens me. I thought he did an excellent job last season.
"I was rather hoping that the idol of the fans and Chelsea legend that he is, he'd get a longer shot than 18 months.
"Managers who have had short stays at Chelsea have gone on to have good careers elsewhere.
"When you're sacked for the first time, it is a devastating blow. There's no doubt he has a pedigree to be a very good manager."
EX-PLAYER REACTIONS
Ex-England players and now TV pundits Michael Owen and Gary Lineker have had their say on the sacking of Frank Lampard calling it staggering and ludicrous:
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