From summer then with Nagelsmann?
Chelsea are banking on a temporary coaching comeback
04/06/2023 10:47 am
Chelsea need a new manager after Graham Potter was sacked. There is speculation about top candidates – but now an ex should judge it. The personal Julian Nagelsmann is not out of the game.
In the search for a new head coach, Chelsea FC decides on an interim solution. As the English Premier League club announces, it is bringing back its former team manager Frank Lampard as caretaker manager. The long-time England international and former Blues professional is to fill the coaching post at the Premier League club until the end of the season.
Taking to social media, Chelsea shared a picture of the ex-and-new coach cheering and captioned the post with a handshake emoji. In a statement, club owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: “Frank is a legend in the Premier League and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want the club and our fans to be united clear and stable plan for the rest of the season. We want to give ourselves every chance to succeed and Frank has all the qualities and qualities we need to take us to the finish line.”
The 44-year-old former England international was at the stadium at Stamford Bridge last Tuesday when Chelsea played 0-0 against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Londoners were looking for a successor after Graham Potter was sacked after just seven months in office.
Will Nagelsmann follow Lampard?
Because Lampard is only supposed to stay until the end of the season, it’s quite possible that the club will aim for a big solution, but then only for the new season. Most recently, ex-Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann was traded, and former Spanish national coach Luis Enrique was also said to be on the list. The latter is said to have been in London for talks.
The recent developments could speak for Nagelsmann that, according to reports, he already had the plan to take a break until the summer before taking on a new job. He wanted to process his end in Munich first and “let it sink in,” it was said. It is the first time that the 35-year-old has been released. Nagelsmann’s engagements at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (2016 to 2019) and RB Leipzig (2019 to 2021) only ended due to interest from other clubs.
At Chelsea, the technical director should also support Nagelsmann. Christopher Vivell knows Nagelsmann from times together at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. The 36-year-old has been at Chelsea since December last year and is largely responsible for squad planning.
Big task for Lampard
However, the name Nagelsmann is mentioned at every club that is looking for a new coach or that is in a crisis and a change of coach could be possible. It recently emerged that the 35-year-old is also a favorite to succeed Christophe Galtier at Paris St. Germain. The 35-year-old Nagelsmann is highly valued by the Qatari bosses and seen as a “young, emotional and ambitious” coach, “Le Parisien” and RMC reported. However, there are apparently also reservations about an obligation. The bosses are not sure whether Nagelsmann can manage a cabin like that of PSG, which is considered one of the most difficult in the world because of the huge egos of the numerous superstars. Especially with a view to the events reported in the media in Munich, where the coach is said to have “lost” some players.
The squad at Chelsea is also top-class, although this is only partially reflected in this season’s results. In the Premier League, Chelsea is only mediocre, the team has already been eliminated from the FA Cup, and in the Champions League the club will face defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
This task should now be solved by Lampard, who was on the sidelines at Chelsea from the beginning of the 2019/20 season until the beginning of 2021 and was then replaced by the current Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, who promptly won the Champions League with the Blues. The 44-year-old was released from Everton at the end of January. After the Potter separation, the Spaniard Bruno Saltor took over as interim coach at Chelsea.