Frank Lampard will definitely make Chelsea return, claims Jose Mourinho... and he can have any job he wants

Jose Mourinho says letting Frank Lampard go was hardest act of his career

Chelsea boss claims Lampard was best all-round midfielder of last decade

Owner Roman Abramovich says Lampard can return however he wants



Mourinho also hints that Ashley Cole still has a future at Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho has invited Frank Lampard to return to Chelsea as his assistant manager after admitting that letting the midfielder go was one of the most difficult acts of his career.

The Chelsea boss praised Lampard in the highest terms, saying he was the best all-round midfield player of the past decade. He also insisted the 35-year-old’s move away from Stamford Bridge this summer is merely a ‘little break’, not the end of his career there.

Mourinho hinted that Ashley Cole’s time at the club may not be over, revealing he has yet to talk to the left back about his future.

Job for life: Frank Lampard can return to Chelsea any time he wants, says Jose Mourinho

Top dog: Mourinho also described Lampard as the most complete all-round midfielder of the past decade

Cole, 33, is also out of contract but no official announcement has been made following the player’s comment on Twitter last month that he was ‘weighing up his options’ and ‘sadly it does not look like Chelsea will be one of them’.

Lampard, meanwhile, is considering a move to Major League Soccer in the States after leaving as Chelsea’s all-time record goal-scorer with 11 major honours, including three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, the Champions League and Europa League.

Mourinho said: ‘You can’t imagine how difficult it was. I think only Frank knows that, but at the same time I can feel some happiness about the process because, for sure, he comes back to Chelsea.

‘For sure. Everybody wants it. Mr Abramovich — the No 1, the most important person — wants Frank to be back very much, I want him to be back and the staff want him back, so he comes back for sure.

‘He can come back the way he wants. Mr Abramovich has left the door completely open for him on the understanding Frank can do anything he wants at this club. To repeat Mr Abramovich’s words, “He can come back the way he wants”.

‘He can be a coach, he can start at the academy, he can start being my assistant at the same time because he is doing his coaching badges, or he can start in a different role.

‘It’s not the end of Frank Lampard’s career in Chelsea. It’s just a little break.

‘He will be back, hopefully for many, many years, because he’s one of the most important players in the history of Chelsea.’

New boy: Chelsea are believed to have a deal lined up to sign Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas

Fresh start: Lampard is expected to sign for MLS side New York City after the World Cup is over

Lampard’s former manager acknowledged the midfielder’s determination to continue playing for two or three more years, but said a footballer of his calibre needs to compete in a league where he is the ‘top man’.

Lampard completed only 11 Barclays Premier League matches last season and Mourinho revealed he had advised him to give up international football after this World Cup, having already won 104 caps.

‘The World Cup is the perfect way for somebody with more than 100 caps to finish his career in the national team,’ said Mourinho.



‘I told him, “Don’t go more than the World Cup. The World Cup is the right moment to finish”. He accepts that. To finish around 110 caps is a crazy number for an outfield player. He’s not a goalkeeper that plays till 40 years of age.

‘He’s a man to play a major role in a team, not like what happened in the last year. I think for him, for his mentality, for his personality, it’s better to get a club and probably a competition where he is really the top man.

‘Lampard is a No 6, a No 10 and he wears the No 8, because he is the six and the 10 and he becomes the eight.

‘For me, he is the best No 8 I have managed, for sure, and I don’t see a better No 8 in the last decade. He was the best for 10 years. I don’t see another one.’

Thumbs up: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would welcome Lampard back to Chelsea with open arms

Cole retired from international football after being left out of Roy Hodgson’s squad for Brazil, but Mourinho said the defender was still in the ‘perfect condition’.

The left back started only five Premier League matches in 2014 after losing his place to Cesar Azpilicueta following a rib injury last autumn, but Mourinho said he pushed Cole towards the end of the campaign in the hope he would be selected for the World Cup.

Jose Mourinho is an exclusive analyst for Yahoo’s worldwide football coverage at www.yahoo.co.uk/worldcup

Not over yet: Mourinho has also hinted that Ashley Cole could still have a future with Chelsea