Frank Lampard ‘happy’ with Chelsea legacy, eyeing return to management

Frank Lampard: Solskjaer has sympathy for ex-Chelsea boss

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Frank Lampard may be one of the latest inductees into the Premier League’s Hall of Fame, but there’s no guarantee his honour will take pride of place in his house.

Lampard has collected a plethora of honours over the course of a decorated playing career that saw him capture three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa league.

But, despite having an honours list longer than most English players in recent history, the down-to-earth former Chelsea man admits he hasn’t taken the best care with his medals.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror’s John Cross, Lampard revealed he isn’t even sure where some of his trophies actually are.

“They’re shoved in a drawer and I actually found one in a shoe recently!” he laughed. 

“I was cleaning out my shoes and I found one of my Premier League winners’ medals in a shoe.”

Lampard said his attitude to his medals reveals his more forward-thinking approach to his life and career, as he looks to take on the next challenge, rather than dwell on his past achievements.

“You can probably tell I’m not huge into displaying my medals,” he smiled. 

“I’m big into what’s next, where do you move on to, and I don’t feel the real need to see so many things around my house.”

Lampard’s stellar career has seen him involved in some of the greatest moments in Chelsea’s history, and none were bigger than Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League success with the Blues.

“The biggest moment and the high was winning the Champions League final and being on the pitch with the fans at the end of that, and Didier Drogba serenading the cup after that in the dressing-room, which people have talked about, was just an incredible moment,” he said.

“Every celebratory moment was great with the fans because it felt like a real connection and that’s one of the most special things when you reflect back that you were part of something that meant so much.”

Lampard and Chelsea have been inextricably linked over the past two decades and, when he was handed the managerial reins back in 2019 after just one season of experience at Derby County, hopes were high that he could continue his success at the club.

But he was sacked just two years later and replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who has led the side to the UEFA Champions League final and the FA Cup final in his first full season with the team.

Despite the fact that his managerial stint at Stamford Bridge was a relatively short one, Lampard said he still holds the club dear, even though he originally came to the side as a West Ham boy.

“My emotional attachment with the club won’t change for so many reasons,” he stated.

“For the reasons that Chelsea fans accepted me as a West Ham boy all those years ago, for the reasons that Roman Abramovich came to the club and made my career by putting me in this amazing squad and turning away from that would be impossible.

“I did see the fans singing. People sent me clips and I saw it. I did wonder after I got sacked how the fans would react, but I am so thankful for that and that’s been the story of me with the Chelsea fans ever since I went there.

“I probably could have taken an easier route at the time whatever that was. Maybe stay at Derby, make another small step to a team where there’s not so much expectation, you’re not expected to win every week and I wanted to get the challenge. 

“I’m not sure if I was to come back to Chelsea at 55 years of age, with titles behind me, I think the rules would be the same. There is an expectation to perform, to win and if you don’t then you might leave the club.

“But I’m good, I’m very happy. The timing of leaving is never something you want professionally but if ever there’s a time then it’s probably when your son is due in a month’s time which was from when I left Chelsea and he’s two months old now.”

Now, after enjoying some time away from football with his young family, Lampard said he’s keen to return to the dugout soon, providing the club was the right fit.

“It’s something I love doing, I love working in management, even more than I thought I would do,” he revealed, before saying that he wouldn’t restrict himself to the top of the Premier League in his search for the right club.

“I would take a view on going into the Championship,” he explained.

“If it was the right club, the right project, for sure. 

“I don’t have an ego where I feel just because I’ve managed in the Champions League, that’s the be-all and end-all. My year at Derby was such an enjoyable year.”

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