Frank Lampard is poised to return to Chelsea and succeed Maurizio Sarri (Picture: Getty)

Frank Lampard is on the verge of making a sensational return to Stamford Bridge with Chelsea having identified the club’s all-time record goalscorer as their No.1 target to succeed Juventus-bound Maurizio Sarri.

The 40-year-old took Derby to the brink of promotion to the Premier League during his debut season in the dugout, exhibiting a commitment to attacking football and placing his trust in a group of inexperienced youngsters, including Chelsea loanees Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.

With Max Allegri taking a year-long sabbatical and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag out of their reach, Chelsea have little option but to take a gamble on Lampard and his lack of experience, but one they are more inclined to take given the need to plan for the long-term as a result of the two-window transfer ban imposed on the club by FIFA.



Whether Lampard will need to make significant changes to a side which, despite a turbulent campaign, finished third last season and won the Europa League remains to be seen, but his previous comments on high-profile members of the squad and a clutch of Chelsea’s brightest academy graduates may give clues as the alterations he will make…


N’Golo Kante

N’Golo Kante will represent a key component of Chelsea’s midfield, where he is stationed (Picture: REX)

Perhaps the biggest criticism Sarri encountered during his spell in west London centered on his decision to redeploy the French World Cup winner as an all-action midfielder to accommodate his headline signing Jorginho in front of a back four.

Kante struggled initially, particularly during a chastening 3-1 defeat to Tottenham at Wembley last November, but grew into the role as the season wore on, culminating in superb display against Arsenal in Baku, during which he showed no effects of a knee injury which prevented him from training fully ahead of the match.

Lampard has previously stated his belief that the former Leicester City star was the best midfielder in the world but, like Sarri, noted there was more to his game than tackling and intercepting.

Kante vs Barcelona: 8 tackles attempted

• 8 tackles won

• 4 interceptions It ain’t for everyone is it Pogba?

pic.twitter.com/gMe99tidhy — T (@HazardFIicks) April 16, 2019

‘Looking at the way he’s performing this year, he may not be scoring lots of goals but what he’s giving to the team in the way he’s playing, the driving force that he is, I cannot see anyone else out there in world football better than him at the moment,’ he said in March 2017 ‘I’d go as far to say that he’s the best central midfield player in the world on current form, I really would.

‘I’d sort of compared him in my head to Makelele last year, and when he came to Chelsea I thought, ‘Here’s their Makelele,’ but he’s got even more to his game.’

That said, Lampard also claimed Kante was Chelsea’s main hope of suppressing Lionel Messi ahead of a Champions League last 16 clash 18 months ago, a game in which the 28-year-old completed eight tackles and made four interceptions.

David Luiz

Frank Lampard and David Luiz were teammates together at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)

The career of Chelsea’s Brazilian boomerang was resurrected by Sarri last season after he was frozen out by Antonio Conte. Luiz made 36 Premier League appearances under the soon-to-be Juventus manager, compared to just 10 the campaign before.

Luiz, who signed a contract extension last month, publicly championed Sarri’s credentials and was hopeful the 60-year-old would last longer than a solitary season at the helm.



Lampard’s relationship with Luiz during their time together in west London was not always rosy – the latter blamed the former for his role in Andre Villas-Boas’ downfall, while the pair were involved in an on-field spat during a Europa League defeat against Ruben Kazan – but the Englishman has always been appreciative of his former teammates’ abilities.

‘It’s a good signing. I played with David,’ said Lampard after Luiz rejoined Chelsea from PSG in 2016.

‘He’s a great defender, great energy. At today’s prices, it’s probably not a bad signing generally.’

With Gary Cahill having departed, the 32-year-old’s leadership and experience should prove vital to a novice Premier League manager.

Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley made 55 appearances for Chelsea and England last season (Picture: Getty)

A hamstring injury prevented Barkley from making an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, although Conte’s lack of enthusiasm upon the 25-year-old’s arrival suggested he knew the former Everton midfielder wasn’t fit for purpose.

Sarri, however, certainly saw potential in the England international who made 55 appearances in all competitions, even if he rarely completed 90 minutes. Despite some significant contributions, consistency and maintaining fitness remain the two biggest question marks hovering over a player who made his top flight debut eight years ago, issues that Lampard identified shortly after Barkley completed his move to west London.

‘We’ve talked about him for a while though and he hasn’t fulfilled his potential,’ he said. ‘But there are players in this market who are moving for £30m or £40m who are of a lesser ability.

‘Now it’s up to Ross, though. At Everton he was allowed to do it in fits and spurts. Five games here and six games there. ‘He won’t get away with that at Chelsea. He’s got to be disciplined, work hard and show he’s capable of adding things to his game. I think he can do it but it’s down to him now.’


Mason Mount & Chelsea’s youngsters

Mason Mount scored 11 goals for Frank Lampard’s Derby side last season (Picture: Getty)

Hamstrung in the transfer market, Lampard will have little option but to rely on the band of youngsters who have been loaned out in recent years, or ignored by the likes of Sarri and Conte. Whether he is brave enough to throw them all into the heat of battle remains to be seen. Clearly, however, he is aware of the talent he will have at his disposal…

Lampard on Mason Mount: ‘He has the potential to be a top player, and I mean that. He broke into the England squad which I thought was a great achievement after playing for us. I think he can go as far as he wants. I have seen a progression in him now. “I would be delighted for him [to play for Chelsea]. I know what a great lad he is as well. He works so hard, and he has a good mentality. If anyone deserves it, it will be Mason, and I would be absolutely delighted for him to get in that team.’

Lampard on Callum Hudson-Odoi: ‘Firstly, I’d love him to stay at Chelsea. He needs to be doing everything to get in that team. Is he working hard and is he developing every day in training and trying to improve? I don’t know him that well but I’m sure that’s the standard at Chelsea he’s going by himself. Every minute he gets on the pitch he needs to be doing everything he can. I understand Chelsea fans want to see more of him and he has to do everything he can to give himself the chance of minutes.’

Fikayo Tomori also impress on loan at Derby from Chelsea last season (Picture: Getty)

Lampard on Fikayo Tomori: ‘His progression this year has been incredible. From when he came in, he was a good young player anyway, but you can see how pivotal he has been in our team. He has grown from within and I’ve enjoyed working with him day to day. He wants to learn and improve his game but all the attributes he has, he is using them. There is still a lot more steps in him to go but he was incredible on Saturday against Rotherham. He performed from the first minute until the last and when he plays like that, it’s scary to think how good he can be. He can go to the top if he plays like he did on Saturday and can get better.’


Lampard on Ruben Loftus-Cheek: ‘I think Ruben has absolutely everything and to be fair he’s had a few injury problems this season. He is another one who has to make the most of every minute he gets. He’s at a stage now where he should be playing and should be pushing regularly to get in that team. He and Callum (Hudson-Odoi) will look at the likes of Jadon Sancho who has gone out of their comfort zone, which I completely respect as well and have done well. But at Chelsea you’ve got a little bunch of players who can try and get the minutes in the first-team. They are the next generation. Chelsea have invested heavily in the academy and I’m sure they are going to want to see the fruits of that.’