Frank Lampard returns as Chelsea manager until the end of the season

Following Graham Potter’s departure, club icon Frank Lampard has returned to Chelsea for his second stint as manager, albeit on a caretaker basis.

Despite having spent hundreds of millions of pounds on new players, Chelsea’s mid-table position led to Potter leaving the club by mutual consent.

In the interim, Bruno Saltor has taken charge of the team. Lampard, who played for Chelsea for 13 years, previously managed the Blues for two years until 2021 when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who later led the team to Champions League victory.

Lampard later managed Everton for a year before being replaced by Sean Dyche in January 2023.

Lampard’s first games back in charge will be against Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday, followed by a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Despite the availability of high-profile managers like Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann, and Zinedine Zidane, it was initially expected that Chelsea might look for a permanent replacement right away.

Watch Frank Lampard look ahead to #WolChe. https://t.co/qXUZiGYwHZ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 6, 2023