In a shocking twist to Chelsea’s managerial merry-go-round, the London club is talking to former player and manager Frank Lampard for a potential reunion. Lampard would be a caretaker manager until the end of the season as the club figures out a long-term manager.
Lampard oversaw Chelsea from July 2019 through January 2021 when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Lampard then spent a year managing Everton from January 2022 until January 2023. He was sacked after Everton sat 19th in the league.
Now he could make a short managerial cameo for Chelsea as the club eyes up the likes of ex-Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Chelsea are in concrete talks with Frank Lampard to become caretaker manager until the end of the season #CFC
Discussions with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique continue for future project.Lampard, 100% prepared to accept the job.
Final green light, up to the board. pic.twitter.com/HPZzPccqPn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 5, 2023
Frank Lampard, open to accept Chelsea job until June — discussions with the representatives are already advanced. #CFC
Final green light up to Chelsea owners.ℹ️ Chelsea have new round of talks already scheduled with Nagelsmann, Liis Enrique and long term job candidates. pic.twitter.com/do0XcHqAZG
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 5, 2023
Chelsea are close to appointing Frank Lampard as head coach until the end of the season, per @David_Ornstein pic.twitter.com/Pk3spgSNHj
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) April 5, 2023
What does this mean for Christian Pulisic?
The best club form of Pulisic’s life occurred when Lampard was manager of Chelsea. It wasn’t an easy start to the relationship as early in the 2019-20 season Lampard repeatedly benched the American.
Everything changed on Oct. 26, 2019, when Pulisic hit a perfect hat trick against Burnley in a 4-2 win.
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: Christian Pulisic announced his arrival in the Premier League with a stirring hat trick away at Burnley.
Relive all three goals! pic.twitter.com/Hx7Wu3YtDQ— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 27, 2020
Pulisic scored in Chelsea’s next two league games after that and earned his starting spot in the Chelsea XI at his preferred left wing position.
A torn abductor muscle in early 2020 made it look like his season was over, but then the world shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic. This gave Pulisic enough time to recover and return for the EPL’s “Project Restart.”
If you’re a dedicated U.S. Soccer fan, then you know all about “Project Restart Pulisic.” With Lampard at the helm, he unleashed a ruthless Pulisic against the league.
The American was a monster at Chelsea’s left wing putting together nine goal contributions (goals and assists) in 11 games across all competitions.
A mixture of injuries, poor form and falling out of favor with new managers prevented Pulisic from rediscovering that 2020 form. Under Tuchel Pulisic was played all over the field and even as a wing back. He only made three appearances at left wing in the 2021-22 season.
Pulisic’s 2022-23 campaign has been forgettable, granted so has Chelsea’s whole season. Pulisic has one goal that he scored against Wolves back on Oct. 8. Ironically enough he was playing as a left wing that game.
USMNT fans can be excited that Lampard, a manager who has previously trusted and started Pulisic, will be in charge once again. We’re not saying that Lampard’s return will automatically turn Pulisic into prime Lionel Messi, but perhaps we can see a little more production from CP10.
