Why Frank Lampard as coach of Chelsea is a pure PR-masterminded stunt

The Blues corner of the Molineux Stadium, home of Wolverhampton Wolves, roared when Frank Lampard strode onto the turf in his third and latest avatar for Chelsea. The first and the most glorious chapter was as their decade-long figurehead, their shining light in their brightest hour; the second iteration was forgettable, as an often naive manager, ripping the aged notion of a great player returning to vault the club to further greatness. The third and latest incarnation, which unfolded on Saturday with a defeat, is of a caretaker manager, designated to ride through the darkest hour of the club he once called “as close to my heart as my family”. Whether he would lead them— placed 11th on the table, their worst faring since 1995/96—or plunge them further unto the ass, it would be an engrossing narrative.
His return after Graham Potter was axed was more shocking than it was surprising. Just two years ago, he was sacked from the club after the fans and directors removed the veneer of nostalgia and began to assess him through the cold eyes of results and numbers. It is not that between now and then, he polished his managerial CV, only three months have passed since Everton sacked him after their worst season of this century, when it seemed that he was not capable enough to keep them in the league. Through much of his chaotic, directionless reign, Everton spent time in the bottom three. They are still in the relegation zone, but Sean Dyche, Lampard’s successor, has breathed some hope.
In this backdrop, it’s baffling that Chelsea rehired him even as caretaker in a season meandering into a territory of meaninglessness. Forget Champions League, even a Europa berth looks dant at this stage. The only scrap could be for finishing in the top 10, which they have managed for 27 years on the spin. For these monumental aspirations, even the present regime of first-team coaches – the assants during Potter’s time, Bruno Salter Grau, Bjorn Hamburg and Anthony Barry- would have sufficed for the nine-match sojourn.
Chelsea’s caretaker manager Frank Lampard looks on during warm up before the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, at the Molineux Stadium, in Wolverhampton, England, Saturday, April 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
The only rationale in appointing Lampard could be to soothe the angst building up against the new owner Todd Boehly and the discontent generated another trophy-less year, where Lampard would be their third manager. In essence, this is a pure PR-masterminded stunt. There is no better draction gig than bringing back a club legend, his blazing light blinking the smouldering darkness around the club. A dopamine rush for sad and angry fans. And those that repeatedly booed the club management are now waving banners like“In Frank We Trust. Then. Now. Forever.”
Beyond all such assumptions and speculations, let’s not forget this is Chelsea. The Chaos Club, stretching the limits of the Chaos Theory, where virtues like patience, order and stability are obsolete, where change is the only constant. No top-six club has jettisoned managers as frequently as Chelsea have in the last 20 years.
With the club, Boehly seemed to have bought the whimsical nature of the previous owner Roman Ibrahimovic. From June 2004 to April 2023, they played under 19 different managers including eight caretakers. Each of them (the regulars and not caretakers) were granted the transfer wish-l (rather treasure-chest). In the last two transfer windows alone they have splurged 350 million dollars, making it not only the highest spender in the Premier League some dance, but also saw it spend more than all the teams in Europe’s top five leagues combined. The managers were also assured time, to forge an identity, to formulate a sustainable winning formula and the redemption path to overcome inevitable failures.
But you know how it always ends—with a note of remorselessness. Having tasted the ouster once, Lampard himself could imagine how his second coming would end. Hence he was careful with the choice of words in the press conference before the Wolves game: “For me, it’s not about unfinished business,” he said. “That sounds a bit Hollywood. I just want to work and help the club as much as I can.”
Chelsea’s caretaker manager Frank Lampard, center, looks on during warm up before the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea, at the Molineux Stadium, in Wolverhampton, England, Saturday, April 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
But the lure remains—if he indeed does something special, he could be upgraded to a permanent manager. It’s a temptation that both Chelsea and Lampard should avoid. It is easy to get carried away, should Lampard string together some favourable results. It’s a beguiling but tragic script—a hero coming back to save his club is pure Hollywood or pulp fiction (both are often the same).
Only a few have pulled off the perfect script with aplomb this century. There is Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola, El Clasico rivals and exceptions. Both, though, had proper coaching education—Zidane spent six years in various roles at Real Madrid, as special advisor, sporting director, assant coach, and coach of Real Madrid B before he assumed full reins. He realised that who he had been as a player was not directly related to who he wanted to be as a manager, he once said. After his playing career, during the time when he was clearing the coaching levels, Guardiola would often spend time with coaches that had inspired him.
He traveled to meet Marcelo Bielsa. He spent weeks with him in Chile, who the Argentine was coaching, chiselling his coaching ideals. He held lengthy conversations with Johan Cruyff and studied managers of every league. He even played six months for Mexican club Dorados so that he could play under Juanma Lillo, who was his assant at Manchester City.
Thus, it’s not like Zidane and Guardiola spun a magic wand and transformed their club to overnight world-beaters, instilled system and identity their mere presence. The labour behind often goes unseen. It was not their aura that fetched the results—it could have played a bit-part—but their managerial wisdom and acumen.

Besides these are two men with a broader perspective of life and culture than Lampard. Zidane has played in three different countries; Guardiola in four. Whether Lampard has enjoyed such exposure and education is doubtful. He retired in 2016, managed Der County for a year and was straightaway managing one of the top football clubs in the world, A ruthless, sack-happy club at that. For this precise reason, he should res the temptation to sign a permanent deal next year, in case it is offered. If the start were an indication—an insipid defeat—it’s unlikely that he would lead the club to the ground next season. That would be a win-win situation for both the club and its legend.