SOCCER: Coventry chairman King shrugs off reports linking Lampard with Chelsea return

Coventry City chairman Doug King is unperturbed by the possibility that manager Frank Lampard, who was instrumental in leading the club back to the Premier League after a 25-year absence, might leave at the end of the season. Reports have linked Lampard with a return to Chelsea, where he enjoyed both player and managerial roles.

Lampard, who spent 13 years at Chelsea as a player, had two separate stints as the club’s manager, including a brief tenure as caretaker in 2023. The former England midfielder won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and a Champions League trophy with Chelsea during his playing career. He also guided the club to the FA Cup final in 2020 as a manager.

Despite the speculation, King expressed confidence in Lampard's current happiness at Coventry. "You can see how emotionally connected Frank is with the city, and you can see how much it meant to him to secure promotion and then win the title," King said in a recent BBC interview. "He's in a happy place at the moment."

While acknowledging Lampard's success and the possibility of a lucrative offer from elsewhere, King emphasized that he was not concerned about the future. "I’m not going to comment on that. I can't control it. But I think he's happy, I’m happy, and everybody’s happy. We’ve just got smiles on our faces."

Lampard’s contract with Coventry is set to run until June 2027, providing the club with some stability despite the rumors.

Meanwhile, Chelsea is in the midst of managerial changes. On Wednesday, they parted ways with manager Liam Rosenior after a disappointing five-match Premier League losing streak that saw the club fail to score a single goal. Andoni Iraola, the manager of Bournemouth, is also reportedly on Chelsea’s radar as a potential successor.

As for Coventry, the club is riding high after securing the Championship title, with Lampard playing a pivotal role in their success. The focus now turns to the upcoming FA Cup semi-final, where Chelsea will face Leeds United at Wembley on Sunday.

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters