Frank Lampard's Rangers love-in, fairytale Chelsea return and next job hint

Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is being heavily linked with the vacant Rangers role, just a few months after departing his role of caretaker boss at Stamford Bridge. Lampard, 45, forged an illustrious career at Chelsea after signing for the club back in 2001 for around £11million, which marked an astonishing fee for the 22-year-old at the time.

Fast forward to the present day, with more than 600 appearances, 211 goals, 145 assists and host of trophies to his name — including the Champions League and multiple Premier League titles — Lampard is a legend at Chelsea. A status which eventually landed him the managerial job at the club in July 2019, following on from play-off disappointment with Derby County in his first role at the helm of a club.

«A year at Derby County and to get into a play-off final, it’s not the pathway to being a Chelsea manager, so I understood going into it that a lot of the reasons were the stars aligning,» Lampard said toSky Sports regarding getting the Chelsea job. «With the embargo a lot of managers that would normally get the Chelsea job at that time maybe did not want it or were not prepared to come given the situation. It worked out for me without a doubt. I have got a great history at the club and I took it on and the challenge with that was not a problem for me.

»It was a no brainer for me to take that job, to then try and show that I was capable of doing that job. I felt at home, but I knew that I still needed to do my work."

A 4-0 defeat to Premier League rivals Manchester United in his first, which was the biggest defeat for a Chelsea boss in their first game since 1978, was a clear warning to Lampard and his staff regarding the task in hand. A warning which seemingly worked as he slowly