Chelsea could prove to be biggest winners from Frank Lampards Norwich appointment

Billy Gilmour shows off skills as he performs the 'Maradona 7'

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Frank Lampard is expected to take over at Norwich in the coming days and if reports are to be believed – Chelsea may just be the biggest winners of the appointment. Carrow Road chiefs finally pulled the trigger on fan favourite Daniel Farke last weekend in a bizarrely-timed dismissal following the Canaries’ first Premier League win of the season on the road at Brentford.

Farke received his fate just a matter of hours after the full-time whistle ending his rollercoaster spell in East Anglia that saw him deliver two Championship titles.

Following extensive talks earlier this week, Lampard has moved to the top of the club’s shortlist as the club prepares to embark on a new adventure with the former Chelsea boss.

It appears Lampard is not prepared to wait around any longer after being overlooked by the likes of Aston Villa, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Everton respectively.

Yet given the nature of Norwich’s yo-yo reputation, Lampard seems almost destined to fail unless he can miraculously claw back a five-point gap to steer the Canaries away from the drop-zone.

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Lampard has already previously documented that he’d be open to a return to the Championship if the move felt right and in truth, there would be a large element of surprise if he was somehow able to steer bottom-of-the-table Norwich to safety.

With Chelsea currently top of the pile – having recently thrashed Norwich 7-0 – Lampard’s next potential venture suggests the Blues were right to relieve him of his duties and appoint a clear upgrade in Thomas Tuchel.

That’s no disrespect to Lampard, whose track record of developing young players speaks for itself and for that reason, he is a perfect fit in many ways for Norwich.

Furthermore, Chelsea could be set to profit immensely through Lampard’s reunion with young Billy Gilmour.

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The nimble, technical midfielder has had a rough ride so far on loan at Norwich having barely featured under Farke despite lighting up Euro 2020 with Scotland.

Chelsea sent him to Carrow Road to play and so far, the agreement has not yet been fulfilled.

However, Lampard is a huge admirer of Gilmour having handed him his first-team debut and therefore, the appointment would be the best possible outcome for Chelsea and the player.

Thomas Tuchel recently urged Gilmour to embrace the challenge at Norwich, despite continuously being overlooked.

“I spoke to Daniel (Farke) and Billy (Gilmour) about the situation and we will make the decision in January,” Tuchel said when asked if Chelsea may recall Gilmour.

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“He left looking for more minutes and game time at another club and the challenge is for him to fight his way through.

“Things are not going as well as he perhaps hoped but it’s not the moment to cancel the whole project or open talks to bring him back.

“Sometimes these weeks and months arrive when the situation doesn’t seem to be going the right way – you just have to hang in there and show your quality and make sure you help your team, no matter how.

“That sharpens the character and I am sure it will be a big chapter in Billy’s career.

“It is only the start of November and there are still months to go and a lot of time to prove he has enough quality to help Norwich be a better team.”

Lampard – should he take the job – will now more than likely build his midfielder around Gilmour’s qualities.

Norwich only have to look at the impact Conor Gallagher has made on loan at Crystal Palace this season to realise it’s not worth giving up on Gilmour just yet.

They may now just have found the right man to maximise their use of the unpolished gem and for that reason, this really could prove to be a shrewd appointment from the Norwich hierarchy having potentially acquired a coach that matches their DNA.

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