Chelsea: Lampard and Morris to start the indirect path to the Blues
By Travis Tyler
Frank Lampard and Jody Morris are on the verge of joining Derby County as manager and assistant. They start the long, indirect path back to Chelsea.
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has spent recent weeks stating he is ready to be a manager. He has mostly been linked to Championship clubs and is now all but confirmed to take over at Derby County.
In addition, Chelsea youth manager Jody Morris has been pegged to follow Lampard. Morris would take the role of assistant and would also offer Lampard previous experience in management (albeit with youth players).
Both joining Derby County would be a sad, yet interesting development. Sad in the sense that Chelsea could not find a role for either to continue. Interesting because it could be the only way they ever find a role at the Blues.
Frank Lampard is arguably Chelsea’s greatest ever player. He would demand immediate respect at the club with many of the current players having grown up watching him. But it would be risky to hand him responsibility before he is tested anywhere. The Blues could have offered him the assistant manager role, but it seems clear that Lampard wants to dive right into the deep end as a manager from the start.
Jody Morris did fantastic work with the academy and could also have had a shout at being assistant manager. But if Chelsea were going to offer it to him, they surely would have by now. His friendship with Frank Lampard is surely playing a role in his decision to go to Derby, but he could have felt his growth at the Blues had hit a wall.
Chelsea could have found roles for both to continue or grow in, but it is understandable why the Blues would have been hesitant. Now Lampard and Morris can grow outside of the high scrutiny at the Blues.
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They can still be of use to Chelsea there as well. The Blues have been using the Championship more and more for their loan army. To have a club run by a former legend and to have the academy manager in the staff makes Derby an ideal location for the Blues to send one, two, or even three loanees.
There, they can grow under familiar faces while testing themselves early in their career. And if all goes according to plan, Derby can pull themselves into the Premier League. Then things will become more interesting.
Chelsea are hesitant to hand managerial reigns to untested coaches. But if a duo of former players suddenly came to the Premier League and stayed up? That changes the calculus. All of a sudden, the Blues could be willing to take a chance on Lampard and Morris, provided their style and abilities develop in a way consistent with what the Blues want.
Then, Chelsea could welcome Lampard and Morris home and hope that they have their own Pep Guardiola or Zinedine Zidane. Both managers had similar, second division background before breaking through at their former clubs. Lampard could do something similar, though it would take a Premier League season to convince Chelsea to take the chance.
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The Blues will be watching Lampard and Morris’ development with great interest. In two or three years, both could end up on the Blues bench provided they hit the ground running. They had to go away to have the chance of returning and it will be exciting to see what happens.