Report: Chelsea bringing Lampard back as interim coach

Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle to rehire Frank Lampard on a short-term basis until a permanent manager is found, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Lampard, who’s been out of work since he was fired by Everton in January, will return to Stamford Bridge to become the club’s interim manager until the end of the season.

Ashley Cole, Joe Edwards, and Chris Jones, who all worked with Lampard during his last two managerial spells, will again be part of his staff.

Lampard has a chance to be on the touchline for Chelsea’s next Premier League game this weekend at Wolverhampton, the team’s second match since Graham Potter was fired.

The 44-year-old – Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer – previously coached the Blues for 18 months before he met the same fate as Potter and was sacked for poor results in January 2021. He was replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who preceded Potter as manager.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will begin the process of finding Potter’s permanent replacement by interviewing former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique, according to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg.

Enrique joins ex-Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann on Chelsea’s list of preferred candidates.

Enrique is expected to fly to London for further discussions after making a positive impression during initial talks with Chelsea officials. The 52-year-old, who won the Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona, has been unemployed since leaving Spain after a disappointing campaign at the 2022 World Cup.

Nagelsmann is also available after he was fired by Bayern Munich last month. The 35-year-old is understood to be a favorite of Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali, but Nagelsmann reportedly wants to wait until the summer before returning to coaching.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Oliver Glasner, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim have also been linked with the vacancy at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League table and will take on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals later this month.