Joe Cole has advised Frank Lampard to 'stay away' from Chelsea amid growing calls for his former teammate to return as manager. Lampard is among several high-profile names linked with the vacant position at Stamford Bridge following Liam Rosenior's dismissal as head coach last week.
Rosenior was sacked after Chelsea suffered five consecutive league defeats without scoring a single goal, a feat not seen at the club since 1912. Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane has taken interim charge, as he did after Enzo Maresca's departure, and the search for a permanent successor is underway.
Lampard, who left his role as Chelsea's caretaker boss at the end of the 2022/23 season, has rebuilt his reputation at Coventry City. The Sky Blues secured automatic promotion with a 1-1 draw against Blackburn and clinched the Championship title with a 5-1 victory over Portsmouth on Tuesday evening.
'It was just a great night,' Lampard said after the win, which ended Coventry's 25-year absence from the top flight. 'It was so nice because we had the jeopardy of Friday night, which in a weird way was great the way we did it. This is what I really, really wanted because we led the table for so long and pushed on this second half of the season.'
Coventry chairman Doug King urged fans not to worry about Lampard's future amid Chelsea links. 'He's done a fantastic job, it's been an incredible 18 months for us and for him,' King told the BBC. 'Everybody is going to get linked with everything, it's a merry-go-round.'
Speaking to Paddy Power, Cole warned Lampard against returning to Chelsea. 'Frank should stay away from it. The temptation for Frank, because he loves the club, would be to come back and give it another whirl,' Cole said. 'He's done a fantastic job at Coventry. Nobody would have backed Coventry for promotion at the start of the season. He's got a real challenge to keep them in the league next season.'
Cole suggested Lampard's focus should be on recruitment for Coventry, potentially bringing in five, six, or seven high-quality additions. 'All his focus and mental energy should be about recruitment,' he added. 'If I were him, I wouldn't go to Chelsea. In any job, you're being judged on results, but at Chelsea, you don't have full control over what you can do. That's insane.'
