January 21 – Under-fire Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is to be given more time to turn around the fortunes of the club, according to British reports, after they slumped to eighth in the Premier League despite spending a whopping £220 million during the summer.
Chelsea, who have lost five of their last eight games, are notoriously impatient when it comes to managerial success and Lampard has questioned the desire of some of his big-name signings.
“Because the expectations at this club, whether they are right or wrong, are always high,” said Lampard, Chelsea’s all-time top scorer, after this week’s 2-0 defeat at Leicester
Asked whether he was confident the club’s Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, would show patience with him, Lampard said: “It’s not my decision. That’s something that will always be there.
“When I came into this job, the job of management, you understand some things are beyond your control.”
The club are nevertheless apparently wary of sacking him because of his status as an icon though those in the frame, were Chelsea’s long-term form fail to pick up, are said to include RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann and ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel, recently sacked by Paris St Germain despite reaching last season’s Champions League final and highly thought of across Europe.
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