After Michael Beale was fired, Frank Lampard is reportedly ‘open’ to taking over as manager at Rangers.

The club is reportedly considering the former head coach of Chelsea and Everton as one of the earliest contenders to turn around its fortunes after losing three of its first seven Scottish Premiership games, which led to Beale’s dismissal.

Graham Potter, a former Brighton coach, was also considered, but he declined the position.

In addition to Kevin Muscat, a former Rangers defender who presently manages Yokohama F Marinos, other candidates on the short list include AZ Alkmaar coach Pascal Jansen and former Monaco coach Philippe Clement.

Lampard, who finished his interim assignment at Chelsea last summer, is open to fresh chances that fit his professional aspirations.

The 45-year-old joined Rangers supporters during the 2008 Uefa Cup final in Manchester versus Zenit St. Petersburg, cementing his longtime admiration for the team. He continued by listing his welcoming appearance at Ibrox as one of his favorite experiences.

The former England midfielder Steven Gerrard managed Rangers to the SPL title in the past, and Lampard’s possible hiring would reignite dreams of recapturing those golden days.

Before making a wise management selection, the club will speak with various candidates again, including Jansen, Clement, and Muscat.

This week, Lampard said he is prepared to return to the bench after finding “the time out of the game to recharge a bit” and will manage once again if the appropriate opportunity arises on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports.

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Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard recently stated that he wanted to sign Declan Rice and would have given him the captaincy.

Lampard was manager for 18 months until being replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Lampard revealed in an interview with Steven Barlett on his podcast ‘Diary of a CEO‘ that he wanted to sign a young Declan Rice and eventually make him captain of the club.

“I wanted to bring in Declan Rice,” he explained. “I was like ‘this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years’. It didn’t happen, anyway, it is hard to dissect people’s work.”

Rice remained at West Ham and is on the verge of joining Arsenal in a £105 million ($132 million) deal after the Gunners beat off opposition from Manchester City.

The English midfielder will play for Arsenal next season, seeking to inspire them to go one step further than they did last season. To Lampard’s displeasure, he could become Arsenal’s captain one day.

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Youngster Noni Madueke has told Chelsea fans they expect to see the ‘real me’ during the 2023/24 season.

The 21-year-old transferred to Stamford Bridge in January 2023 for an estimated £28.5 million, although interim manager Frank Lampard and head coach Graham Potter only occasionally used him in the second half of the season.

Madueke started just seven games overall for the Blues and only managed one goal, the consolation in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal in May.

The wide player reflected on a challenging first half-season with Chelsea in an interview with the Evening Standard and let fans know what to expect from him going forward.

“A lot of changes are out of the players’ hands, but you roll with the punches,” he said.

“I guess when the club wants to do something a bit special, there’s bound to be changes. We’re trying to create a squad that can compete for the next 10 years. I definitely performed well, showed my ability, but next season you’ll see the real me.

“Next season, I want to contribute massively to Chelsea winning. That’s it. We’re all buzzing to come back in pre-season with the new manager, forget last year and bring Chelsea back to where they’re meant to be; fighting for titles.”

Madueke also talked about how Mauricio Pochettino would affect his budding career, expressing excitement at the idea of working with the Argentine.

“If he can make me better, I’ll be a very good player,” he added. “That’s exciting. I will never compromise the way I play – my game is already risky as it is. It’s about becoming as effective as I am skilful.

“Young players need a manager that can develop them further. You see Jude [Bellingham] made a move to Real Madrid at 19 years of age. It’s about how good you are. If you’re the best in your position, you play.”

With England, Madueke is currently taking part in the Under-21 European Championships. He made his Young Lions debut in their victory over the Czech Republic.

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Incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has been pushed by Frank Lampard to reduce the squad and improve training once he arrives at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino has agreed to take over at Chelsea for the upcoming season and is already working behind the scenes with club officials to arrange their summer transfer strategy, leaving Lampard in charge of the first squad until the end of the current campaign.

Under Lampard’s interim leadership, Chelsea has dropped seven of its nine games, most recently being defeated 4-1 by Manchester United on Thursday.

After the game, Lampard criticized his players for letting their training standards go and pleaded with Pochettino to find a solution to bring Chelsea back to their rightful place.

“I think the squad size is something the club will address and the new manager will understand what I’m saying there in terms of numbers, so I think they’ll look at squad players that it might be time to leave or might want to leave to get the squad right,” Lampard said.

“After that the manager will come in with whatever tactical idea he has. Top managers who are gonna manage Chelsea will have an idea whether it’s formation or style, but I do think that the club – having been here for a long time, a successful period playing and coaching back here – I think there’s a lot of basics, standards and day-to-day training ethics that amongst things that have happened this year have dropped down a level, and I think for me that’s the first thing I would fix.

“Those basics – and I’m not standing here telling the manager what to do – as I’m sure the level of manager coming in is gonna want to see that themselves and address it. But, in my short period, I would say that basic level before you get to tactics needs to step up a gear again.”

The size of the Chelsea squad was again highlighted by Lampard when the caretaker boss discussed the challenges he has faced since his return to Stamford Bridge.

“It is a huge group and that’s been a challenge for me and probably every coach this season because when you work, firstly you know there are ways which you work that the numbers can be a problem practically,” he continued. “Then there’s the collective mindset and spirit of the group and the fact we’ve got a squad of low 30’s, you’re leaving a lot of people at home.

“That’s been challenging. On one part I can see that it can affect players negatively if they fall out of it but on the other part there’s also responsibility for players to show that they should be part of the team – to start or on the bench to come in. I think we’ve had a difficult balance this year and I’ve obviously come in at the back end of that.”

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After being demolished 4-1 by Manchester United on Thursday, Frank Lampard charged that Chelsea’s team has not been working out as hard as they should this year.

Early in the game, the Blues showed signs of promise, but once again, they were let down by some appalling goal-line finishing, which allowed Erik Ten Hag’s well-oiled United machine to brutally exploit them.

Lampard said that Chelsea’s overall “standards” had been declining before kickoff, and when pressed for an explanation following the game, he did not mince words.

“It’s a simple thing to say but any team that wins in the Premier League has them [standards] as a base, because without them the tactics do not matter,” Lampard said.

“Training well every day, trying to improve, being a real collective unit. There are some variables for the players, everyone talks about the bog squad and I understand that it’s hard for the coaches this year at the club – I get it because I’ve lived that for nine league games now.

“Sometimes you can say that is maybe a factor – if you want to call it an excuse – but as a player you have to put that to the side and focus on your own game. Since I’ve been in I’ve understood quickly that some of the collective standards – and it’s for the individuals within that to realise who they are – this is not a blanket, we just have to find the reasons for why the club is where it’s at, and there are many.

“It’s not just finger-pointing at the players because it’s definitely not a lack of effort this evening, but you build up the credit through your training and your prep, and you build up a resilience. I was fortunate enough to be a player here for many years and you can look at the group and the player next to you and know that he’s worked on his standards and everything is there to rely on each other.

“It’s a bad year for the club, and many clubs have these years when we’ve had massive success for the last 20 years or whatever, but the important thing is you get to the bottom of how it improves. It needs a reboot, the club will move on in summer in terms of what the squad looks like, and as a Chelsea player where we want to be, everything has to be improved to get to the level.”

Not only will Chelsea complete the Premier League season with the fewest points ever, but their 16 losses this season are also an unwanted club record, and unless they pull off a nine-goal comeback against Newcastle on the last day of the season, they will also finish with the fewest goals ever.

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Frank Lampard has disclosed how close he came to signing current Manchester City star Erling Haaland during his first spell as Chelsea manager in 2019.

The legendary Blues player, who has returned to Stamford Bridge to serve as temporary manager, will face prolific Norwegian forward Haaland on Sunday when the team travels to Manchester City.

Haaland has been a revelation for City this season, scoring 52 goals in a record-breaking campaign, but he may have ended up in West London instead of the North West if Lampard had been successful in getting his transfer request accepted when the imposing forward was still on the roster of Red Bull Salzburg.

Lampard, who coached against Haaland in a pre-season friendly, has said of his recruitment pleas that fell on deaf ears: “He’s a player I tried to bring to Chelsea, his level at that point was very clear. Credit to him, I love seeing players at that level with the hunger to be the best. From our point, I was pushing it, I’m not sure what the appetite was elsewhere. The competition was big, I think there was a buyout clause that was relatively reasonable maybe considering the player. I don’t know the details. I don’t know if he would have decided to come anyway but I was a big fan. I was pushing big, he was the outstanding one.”

Lampard worked alongside plenty of fearsome forwards in his playing days, including Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, but he is reluctant to compare modern-day sensation Haaland with iconic figures from the past. The Blues boss added: “I couldn’t compare him to Didier, but Didier had that impact over a long period of time. Haaland’s impact has been more instant. I don’t think it’s a direct comparison, but they’re both great strikers.”

With 36 goals and counting, Haaland has broken the record for the most Premier League goals in a single season. His contributions have helped City remain in contention for an illustrious triple.

In contrast, Lampard is back at Chelsea after a disastrous season in which they finished in the bottom half of the standings despite spending almost £600 million ($747 million) on new players.

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Chelsea are in the midst of a left-back crisis, with Frank Lampard confirming that Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella are both injured.

Chilwell was removed 15 minutes from the end of the Blues’ 3-1 win against Bournemouth last time out, with club captain Cesar Azpilicueta coming on in his stead.

Lampard is critically short of senior full-backs and may have to rely on the veteran Spanish defender once more in a home game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Blues boss told reporters when delivering the latest fitness update on his squad: “[Chilwell is] not fit. Wes [Fofana] has been training this week, so he is good. He [Cucurella] won’t be fit for this game. He’s [Kalidou Koulibaly] trained with us, not full training with us. It’s a similar story to Reece James and Mason Mount. I feel for him [Chilwell]. We miss big players. Ben, Mason and Reece are big internationals.”

While Azpilicueta is expected to come in against Forest, Lampard has another alternative in Lewis Hall, who has made seven appearances this season but has been ruled out of England’s U20 World Cup squad.

Lampard added: “Lewis has a chance. I was tempted to put him on last week but the experience of Azpi was more suitable. He is a very good player, a really talented player. He needs to come out of himself a bit more. I have been really impressed and he is in the running for the last four games. He wanted to play for his country but that is a good thing. But also he has come through this academy and is desperate to play.”

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After hearing boos during each of their introductions, Frank Lampard commended Raheem Sterling and Hakim Ziyech for their contributions to the victory over Bournemouth.

On Saturday, Chelsea won for the first time under interim manager Lampard, securing their spot in the Premier League for the 2023–24 season with a 3–1 victory at the Vitality Stadium.

It was the Blues’ first victory in nine matches across all competitions, and it was primarily a result of the efforts of two controversial replacements, Ziyech and Sterling.

When they were brought in the second half, Chelsea supporters booed them loudly. However, both went on to make significant contributions, with Zyiech helping Benoit Badiashile and Sterling helping Joao Felix.

Speaking to the press after the game, Lampard was keen to praise Ziyech and Sterling.

“They’re two players, Hakim and Raheem, that want to do well as football players and they have big talent both of them,” he said.

“If it’s form, it’s very much temporary and I think their class is permanent and I’m pleased for them today having an impact when they came on.”

Lampard also took the time to discuss the ‘small step forward’ Saturday’s win: “It was very evident in the dressing room from coming in that there was a lot of picking up that needed to be done and unfortunately you need results to come in line with that to keep you stepping forward, so that’s been tough. It was a nice small step forward.

“The lads are all human, we’re all affected in similar ways when you’re not winning games or you don’t feel at your best and the only way to get through that is to fight and to work through it.

“I’ve been in relative periods where they’re tough, so absolutely they should enjoy tonight and have a beer or have a glass of wine or do whatever they do. But we cannot take our foot of the pedal in terms of trying to take steps forward until the end of this season because it’s important.”

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Frank Lampard, manager of Chelsea, claims he is “not hurting” despite recent disastrous outcomes for his club.

Since Lampard took over as temporary manager, the Blues have lost each of their six games played, going nine games without a victory altogether. The former midfielder stated during a news conference that the situation is “not good” and was not in the mood to downplay his team’s performances.

“If you want to list our last four Premier League games, they’re not good. That is the full picture,” he said. “Our league position is a reality, our points is a reality, our goals scored is a reality of the season.”

Lampard added: “I’m not hurting. I’ve been part of this club with big success. Any sport can give you moments of adversity. We at Chelsea have been pretty fortunate for 20 years. When the spotlight is on you, it’s on you. As a player or a coach, you have to understand that.”

With five games remaining and Chelsea now lying in 12th place in the Premier League standings, they are 24 points out of the Champions League berth.

When the London team visits on Saturday, they will look to snap their losing skid.

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Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has broken his silence on Chelsea’s disastrous 2022/23 campaign under his management.

Under the new ownership, the Blues had a disastrous first season, going through three different managers (Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and current interim manager Frank Lampard).

With five games remaining, Chelsea is only nine points above the relegation zone, which means they are still not assured a spot in the Premier League next season.

Boehly asserted that the new owners of Chelsea will ‘figure it out’ and return the team to the top of the Premier League in an interview with Milken Institute chairman Michael Milken.

He said: “The fans are demanding. You know they want to win and we get that we want to win. I think our view though was that this is a long-term project and you know we’re committed to the long-term.

“We very much believe that we’re going to figure it out. We’ve got the best league in the world, we’ve got what I think is the top city in the world and we’ve got an unbelievable location in the top city in the world.

“Winning is just the best feeling there is. You have to build a team and obviously the coach is the conductor of the team. So I think there is a lot we have learned.”

Chelsea can move a step closer to Premier League survival with a win over in-form Bournemouth on Saturday.

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After Chelsea lost to Arsenal on Tuesday for the sixth time in a row, Frank Lampard emphasized how little time he has spent with the team.

At Emirates Stadium, three fast goals gave the Gunners complete control within 34 minutes, although Chelsea rode their luck to avoid more harm and even managed a late consolation via the lively Noni Madueke.

But the England winger scoring only the second goal of Lampard’s six-game tenure tells its own story, who has overseen six losses and twelve goals conceded in a torrid three-week period.

The former Blues player emphasized the short timescale as being insufficient to address the deep-rooted issues that currently exist at the club, exasperated after experiencing yet another defeat on the sidelines.

“We were not good enough, we were too nice to play against and too passive,” Lampard told reporters after the 3-1 defeat. “From the moment I have been here it has been evident that we are too nice as a team. We have to find the reasons quickly. It is not an overnight fix. This is something that really has to be corrected. There are a lot of parts to it.

“Arsenal are a team that has been building for three years. They work on an idea and a way. For me it’s impossible to come in for three weeks and work on those things. We have to do the basics better and then we will get some progress. It’s clear tonight for me. The first half is nowhere near good enough. But it’s the reality. It’s what I’ve come into.”

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Following the Blues’ most recent loss to Arsenal, Cesar Azpilicueta appeared to take a dig at Chelsea owner Todd Boehly by referring to “off-the-pitch” things.

The Blues suffered their sixth straight loss under Frank Lampard on Tuesday night at the Emirates as the title challengers Arsenal defeated them 3-1.

With goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard, Chelsea fell behind 3-0 inside 34 minutes. However, the Blues improved in the second half, and Noni Madueke pulled one goal back after an hour.

Azpilicueta, the team’s captain and the player who started in place of Reece James, acknowledged that they were “passive” in the first half and spoke of working on “off the pitch” issues, which might be a jab at Chelsea owner Boehly.

“It’s the worst run since I’ve been at the club. We’re the ones playing on the pitch and we have to turn this around. It’s hard for everybody and we have to come through these moments. Off the pitch we have a lot of things to work on,” he stated after the match to Sky Sports.

“The first half we were quite passive. We know they are a dangerous team and will bring a lot of people forward but we should’ve done better with the ball. In the second half we showed a bit of a reaction, in the first half we were far from there.

It’s tough for everybody, we’re not in a good position. The reality is what we have now. We have to go through it. We are all disappointed, the fans at the club. We have to take responsibility and that’s the only way. It’s very hard, we didn’t expect to be here but that’s where we are. We have five games left, we have to show positive energy and win games,” he added.

Chelsea spent about £600 million on transfers since Boehly’s consortium took over the club from Roman Abramovich last summer. They also paid a record fee to hire Graham Potter after sacking Thomas Tuchel but the coach did not last the full season after Chelsea won just 12 of the matches they played under the ex-Brighton boss, losing 11.

Now the club is staring at mass clear-out to balance their books and meet Financial Fair Play regulations following a loss of £121 million ($149m) in the club’s annual accounts for 2021-22.

Chelsea is currently in 12th place after losing to Arsenal, making a top-four finish unlikely. When they play Bournemouth next on Saturday in the Premier League, they will try to regain some of their damaged pride.

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