Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard becomes favourite for Crystal Palace job
Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has emerged as the favourite to take over at Crystal Palace if Roy Hodgson leaves this summer. Hodgson arrived at Crystal Palace in September 2017, taking charge after the nightmare start made by Frank de Boer. This was a chance for the former Liverpool manager to rebuild his reputation, having led the England national team through a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign. Hodgson is on course for another mid-table finish with Crystal Palace After a horrible opening seven games, Hodgson turned things around at Selhurst Park, guiding the club to a respectable 11th place finish. Since then, the Eagles have finished in 12th and 14th. This season, they look on course to settle in the same area of the table, currently residing in 13th place with three games remaining. O...
Manchester United rages at penalty talk as team draw another blank
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United was furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. “It’s all these outside influences. That’s influencing referees,” said an unusually irate Solskjaer. “We’ve ...
Chelsea boss takes blame for Hakim Ziyech struggles at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has shouldered the blame for Hakim Ziyech’s stalled progress at Stamford Bridge, challenging the midfielder to fight for his place in the team. Morocco international Ziyech, who signed in July, has only featured twice so far under Tuchel, leading to suggestions the former Ajax star could seek a summer exit. But Tuchel is adamant he will need to call on Ziyech as the hectic season unfolds. “It is my fault actually, not his,” Tuchel said on Friday. “It is my hard decisions at the moment as well for Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and for Christian Pulisic sometimes in the half positions where we seem the strongest. “It is the same for Hakim at the moment and for some other players — there were hard decisions to make. It is never easy but it is a good thing, we have...
Thiago Silva reveals ‘nice surprise’ from Frank Lampard after Chelsea move
Thiago Silva says a “nice surprise” from Frank Lampard immediately assured him he made the right choice when joining Chelsea over the summer. The Brazil defender moved to the Premier League shortly before his 36th birthday, bringing to an end his eight-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain. Silva says he had no doubts about his decision to head to Stamford Bridge, but appreciated a gesture he received from his new manager as he prepared for the move. What did Lampard send Thiago Silva? “As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013,” Silva told FourFourTwo. “It was a nice surprise. He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester Ci...
Thomas Tuchel appointed new Chelsea manager
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the club’s new manager. The Blues moved swiftly to bring in the German following the decision to sack Frank Lampard on Monday. The 47-year-old will be charged with the task of reviving the fortunes of a side sat in ninth in the Premier League table, with Champions League qualification the likely target for the remainder of the season. Tuchel, who was sacked as coach of Paris Saint-Germain in December, has signed an 18-month contract, with the option of a further year in west London. His predecessor, Lampard, had been handed a three-year contract when the Blues legend was appointed Chelsea boss in the summer of 2019 following a season in charge of Championship side Derby County. When will Tuchel take charge of his first game? Tuchel...
Italian giants set to sign Chelsea ace on loan till the end of the season
Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori set to join AC Milan on loan According to the reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is all set to join Italian giants AC Milan on loan. The Serie A giants were keen on securing the 23-year-old if they failed to land Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan. The 20-year-old is also on Chelsea’s radar. With RB Leipzig also now pursuing Simakan, competition for his signature has gotten tougher. Milan, meanwhile, appear to have settled for Tomori. The defender has found opportunities difficult to come by at Chelsea. So far he has made just four appearances and is the club’s fifth choice centre-back. He will now spend the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign at the San Siro. The Rossoneri are currently top of Serie A as they chase...
AC Milan close to signing Fikayo Tomori on loan with buy option
Serie A leaders AC Milan are aiming to secure the loan signing of Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea with a buy option in the next few days, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reports. The England international has hardly played for the west London giants this term and he has made only four appearances in all competitions. Blues boss Frank Lampard recently said that Tomori could be loaned out and the Rossoneri are currently the leading candidates to sign him. However, the Serie A leaders want to keep hold of Tomori for the long-term and they are hopeful of negotiating a buy option for the centre-back worth €30m. The Blues are yet to given the go-ahead for the proposed deal, but Romano reports that the 23-year-old is prioritising a move to Stefano Pioli’s side. Tomori had a bright breakthrough seas...
Newcastle desperate to secure Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori
Newcastle United are interested in securing Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori. The youngster has not played as much as he expected in the first half of this campaign. Tomori is sidelined given the preference of manager Frank Lampard of playing Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma in central defense. According to FourFourTwo, the 23-year-old is attracting interest from the Magpies, along with Leeds United and Burnley. Any move would be a loan for the second half of the season. Tomori did not even play in the FA Cup third round game against Morecambe for Chelsea, further indicating a move could be imminent. Blues boss Lampard told football.london: “The situation with Fikayo is open at the moment. There is a possibility he could be going on loan to get games somewhere else. “So that would have to be t...
Tactical Analysis: How Manchester City Breezed Past Chelsea
The Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City was being built up as quite a big one. Prior to the match, the Blues only had one win in their last five Premier League games but were nearly back to full squad strength as Hakim Ziyech made a much-awaited return from injury. City, on the other hand, were unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, but with the likes of Ederson, Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres, Aymeric Laporte and some others missing due to COVID or injury, their squad was looking fairly depleted, so much so that Pep Guardiola named only eight substitutes including three EDS (Elite Development Squad) players. The match, however, proved to be a simple stroll in the park for City. They breezed past Chelsea with unmatched effortlessness and a perfor...
Chelsea boss admits to facing ‘reality check’ after Manchester City drubbing
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard acknowledged that he was given a sharp jolt of reality as the Blues capitulated at home to Manchester City on Sunday. Lampard’s charges have been in torrid form since the start of December, following up a run of nine unbeaten Premier League games with four defeats in their last six outings. The latest, a 3-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge at the hands of City, was concerning not just for the result but also the subdued display offered by the hosts. Chelsea mustered just two shots on target to give debutant goalkeeper Zack Steffen a quiet afternoon between the posts, and only troubled the scorers late into injury time through Callum Hudson-Odoi when the game was already out of reach. And with the Blues having slipped down to eighth as a result of their recent woes,...
Frank Lampard under serious threat of being sacked as Chelsea boss
According to a damning on-the-whistle report from The Athletic, Frank Lampard’s job at Chelsea is under serious threat after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. The loss to Pep Guardiola’s side marked Chelsea’s fourth in their last six Premier League games, the Blues have won just once over this period – against West Ham – who they are now level on points with. It’s not just the results though, the Blues have lost to sides that are firmly contenders for European competition like Wolves and Everton – whilst they were stunned by rivals Arsenal on Boxing Day. The Athletic report that the west London outfit have now begun to ‘explore alternative plans’ in regards to the team’s future, with the consideration that Lampard will be sacked if this run continues. Chelsea now sit eighth in the Premier...
Chelsea owner takes legal action over ‘Putin’s People’ book
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has launched legal action for defamation over the book Putin’s People. The Blues owner’s case relates to “a number of false and defamatory claims made about our client in the book published by HarperCollins.” The book was written by author Caterine Belton and contains a number of claims about Abramovich and others close to Russia president Vladimir Putin. Abramovich’s statement, published on Chelsea’s club website, says: “Today my legal representatives have issued legal proceedings in England in relation to a book that was published in the UK. The book contains a number of false and defamatory statements about me, including about my purchase, and the activities, of Chelsea Football Club. “Today’s action was not taken lightly. It has never been my ambition to ...