Chelsea have re-appointed Frank Lampard as their caretaker manager until the end of the season.
The 44-year-old, who previously coached the Blues between July 2019 and January 2021, has returned to Stamford Bridge following the dismissal of Graham Potter on Sunday. Lampard was out of work after being sacked by Everton in January.
Lampard was at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea's goalless draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night, sparking rumours of a shock comeback. The Englishman will now aim to win the Champions League and finish as high as possible in the Premier League, with Chelsea sitting in 11th - 14 points behind Manchester United in fourth having played a game more.
Lampard reported to Chelsea's Cobham training ground on Thursday morning to take training with the players. He will take charge of Saturday's away game against Wolves. Chelsea have not confirmed Lampard's backroom staff yet, but Ashley Cole, Joe Edwards and Chris Jones are expected to join him.
"We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge," said Chelsea's co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. "Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.
"As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season. We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.
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"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."
Chelsea have struggled on the pitch since Boehly's consortium completed a takeover of the club last summer. The Blues have been the biggest spenders in Europe - investing more than £500million into the squad - but that hasn't led to results.
Boehly sacked manager Thomas Tuchel in September, with Potter arriving from Brighton to succeed him. Potter boasted an impressive CV following his successful spell with the Seagulls, as he established them in the top half of the Premier League.
Yet the Englishman failed to get the best out of Chelsea's packed squad. A 2-0 defeat to Unai Emery's Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening proved to be the final straw, with Boehly showing Potter the door the following day.
Although Potter's domestic record at Chelsea was poor, they have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Borussia Dortmund in the last 16. That is ironic, as Tuchel went on to lift the European Cup after replacing Lampard in January 2021.
Lampard now has the chance to win the Champions League as a manger, but a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid will not be easy. If they knock out the holders, the winners of Bayern Munich's clash with Manchester City will await them in the last four.
As a player, Lampard was one of the best in the business. He won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League during his time at Chelsea, where he scored a club-record 211 goals.
Lampard, who also played for West Ham, Swansea, Manchester City and New York City, moved into management with Derby in May 2018. He guided the Rams to the Championship play-off final, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa, during his one season in charge.
Chelsea first appointed Lampard in July 2019. He enjoyed a solid first season, as the Blues finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to Arsenal. Yet he was sacked in January 2021 after a poor start to the campaign.
Lampard returned to management 12 months later, when Everton came calling. He kept the Toffees in the Premier League during his first half-season in charge but was dismissed in January with the club 19th in the table.
