Chelsea legend Frank Lampard claims there was no “spirit” in the Chelsea squad while he was the interim manager, and he wanted to bring in Declan Rice to the West London club.
Frank Lampard always refers to the low standard at the club while discussing with the media before and after games.
This came after Todd Boehly sacked Thomas Tuchel and appointed a new manager, Graham Potter. It also included the signing of a lot of players in the January transfer window at an exorbitant price.
In Frank Lampard’s latest interview, he pinpointed the man’s problem, saying, “Having worked there before as a coach and player, I know the standards.”
“This isn’t a direct criticism of the players, because when I look at their situations where they were, and it had been a long year, I walked in with 10 games to go and they’d been there the whole season”.
“A lot of players weren’t playing; they were probably going to leave, which we’re seeing now, and I could see in training that the level wasn’t enough.”
What Was Chelsea Situation When Frank Lampard Left In 2021
After Frank Lampard was sacked in January 2021, a new manager was appointed. Thomas Tuchel, who came in and changed everything under the former owner, Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea won the Champions League, got to the Final of the FA Cup, won the UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal, and also won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021.
After the sanction imposed by the British government on the former owner of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, he was forced to sell the club.
Thomas Tuchel and his men were still strong and almost made it to the Champions League semi-final in the second season, but they were stopped by Real Madrid.
Tuchel started to feel his job was not safe after a new owner came in. Todd Boehly sacked Thomas Tuchel before the middle of the 2022-2023 season, and he was replaced by Graham Potter.
Frank Lampard Said, ”Chelsea won the Champions League a few months after I left, and then you kind of think where’s the next move, what things work then, and maybe some players left during that period where you wanted to bring in some players who would be the future”.
Chelsea Situation When Frank Lampard Returned in 2023
Chelsea couldn’t even find its rhythm even after signing a lot of players in the January transfer window to support Graham Potter. However, those players failed to make the difference, and Chelsea continued to play poorly at home and away.
The owners were criticized for sacking Thomas Tuchel, and fans couldn’t enjoy the games of their favorite club.
Graham Potter was sacked, and they appointed Frank Lampard. Many thought the former Everton manager would make impact on the players, but they couldn’t survive, and they almost fell into the relegation zone.
Lampard took over as the interim manager of Chelsea with 11 matches to go.
The manager won just one match against Bournemouth and ended up finishing in 12th place on the Premier League table for the first time in three decades.
Why Did Frank Lampard want to Bring Declan Rice to Chelsea?
Frank Lampard claims he wanted to bring in Declan Rice because he sees him as the captain of Chelsea in the next 10 years.
“When I was at Chelsea before, I wanted to bring in Declan Rice. I said he would be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years.
“It didn’t happen, but it’s hard for me to dissect other people’s work between when I left the club and came back. I came into what I came into, and it would be a little bit casual for me to say what they should’ve done differently.”
Lampard is not holding grudges against Chelsea and wants the club to succeed with the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino.
However, the England International will be joining Chelsea’s rival Arsenal.
The deal is close to being finalized, and Declan Rice will be declared Arsenal’s new player before the transfer window closes.
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