Chelsea must find a role for Frank Lampard when he becomes a coach
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has been working on his coaching badges and is close to finding a use for them. Chelsea must bring him in to the fold.
Frank Lampard is one of Chelsea’s greatest players. Some may even say he is the greatest. Regardless, it is clear that Lampard’s shadow is long and still in the mind of many Chelsea faithful.
Since retiring, he has been working on his coaching badges with the help of the Blues. There are several videos of him with the youth teams. Soon, his training will be complete and he will be available for a job. Chelsea must not let him slip away. They must bring him into the set up in some fashion.
One method of doing this is to copy Liverpool with Steven Gerrard. Gerrard has been working with the youth teams at Liverpool in recent seasons. That is a valuable way to get his feet wet and one that Chelsea should replicate.
Joe Edwards and Jody Morris have both done excellently with their respective youth teams. But it is perhaps time to move them into new roles. Alternatively, Lampard could do something similar.
Chelsea have been without a true, long term assistant manager since Steve Holland departed. Whenever the manager would change, Holland would remain. This created consistency season to season that Chelsea now lack.
Between Morris, Edwards, and Lampard, Chelsea can find someone to be their new long term assistant. On paper, Lampard would make the most sense. He is the only one not currently placed and his massive status at Chelsea would earn immediate respect from the first team players and whoever is manager.
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The only negative of putting Lampard in that role right away is that any move to a youth team would seem like a demotion. And though he would be working with the first team, he would not be actively managing his own team like he would at youth level. That may not matter in the long term but it could stunt Lampard’s growth as a manager.
There is also a notion that Lampard could find some other role at the Blues. The technical director role remains shamefully open and if Lampard shows any type of skill at it, it will be his. It would be a massive risk for both but it could also potentially bear great fruit.
Regardless, Chelsea need to find somewhere for Lampard to have a role at the Blues. If they do not, he could look for employment elsewhere. Arsenal know this pain well as they saw both Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta join the Manchester City umbrella of teams. Only now, years later, are they even being linked with a return to Arsenal.
Chelsea cannot allow the same thing to happen to them. Lampard already has had a connection with Manchester City and they are eager to snap up top talent. West Ham too, given their history with Lampard’s family, could try to snatch him away.
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Lampard deserves some role with Chelsea. Chelsea need to start bringing their legends into the framework and they can go a long way by starting with Lampard.