How Frank Lampard Made The Transition From An Iconic Player To A Successful Manager

As a player, there is no love lost between Frank Lampard and West Ham, but there is no doubt that after leaving the Hammers for Chelsea, he became an incredible footballer.

He went on to win four Premier League titles with the Blues, becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer to boot, but the focus of this article will be on how he negotiated the successful transition to management.

Not every top player becomes a good manager, but Lampard has certainly shown in his roles at Derby County and Chelsea that he has the quality to coach at the very highest level.

Press the next page as we profile the 42-year-old’s management career so far.

Taking Derby County to the Playoff Final

Rams chairman Mel Morris took a chance when he appointed Lampard with no managerial experience in the summer of 2018. The decision soon paid off as he beat Manchester United on penalties in the Carabao Cup just 12 games into his tenure.

The league campaign started off less successfully but a late run for the playoffs saw Derby clinch sixth place. The Rams overcame Leeds in the semi-finals before losing out to Aston Villa in the final.

Return to Chelsea

His successful first season in management caught the eye of his former club Chelsea, and he was appointed Maurizio Sarri’s successor in June 2019, with Blues fans excited that a legend had returned to manage the club.

Despite having to deal with the departure of Eden Hazard, as well as a one-year transfer ban, Lampard coped pretty well, guiding his team to a fourth-place finish during his first campaign in charge at Stamford Bridge.

A difficult second season

Optimism was growing ahead of Lampard’s second year in charge of Chelsea, and owner Roman Abramovich backed him massively in the transfer market, following the lifting of the transfer embargo. Over £200m was spent on the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner.

However, the pressure of spending so much money, and his lack of experience in managing high profile signings, meant that he couldn’t deal with some of the challenges that he was faced with. There were reports that he had fallen out with influential director Marina Granvoskaia and combined with claims he was butting heads with several key players, he came under increasing scrutiny. After slipping to ninth place in January 2021, Abramovich decided to end his 18-month spell in charge.

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