Joe Cole sends clear message to Frank Lampard over Chelsea job

Joe Cole has advised Frank Lampard to ‘stay away’ from Chelsea amid some calls for his former team-mate to return as manager.

Lampard is one of a long list of high-profile names being linked with the vacant position at Stamford Bridge following Liam Rosenior’s dismissal as head coach last week.

Rosenior was relieved of his duties after overseeing five straight league defeats without scoring a single goal, an unwanted piece of history which had not happened at Chelsea since as far back as 1912.

Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane has taken over the reins on an interim basis – just as he had done following Enzo Maresca’s departure – and the search is now underway for Rosenior’s permanent successor in west London.

Having left his role as Chelsea’s caretaker boss at the end of the 2022/23 season, Lampard has rebuilt his reputation in charge of Championship outfit Coventry City.

The Sky Blues had already guaranteed automatic promotion thanks to a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Blackburn – and a rampant 5-1 victory over Portsmouth ensured the club went up as champions on Tuesday evening.

‘It was just a great night,’ Lampard told reporters after the win, with Coventry set to return to the top flight after a painful 25-year absence.

‘It was so nice because we had the jeopardy of Friday night, which in a weird way was great the way we did it.

‘That was amazing in its own right, this is amazing in its own right. This is what I really, really wanted because we led the table for so long and pushed on this second half of the season as it’s gone on.

‘That takes a really strong unit and a strong group and they’ve shown that.’

Speaking ahead of the clash, Coventry chairman Doug King urged supporters not to worry about ‘what may or may not happen’ after Lampard was linked with the vacant position at Stamford Bridge.

‘He’s done a fantastic job, it’s been an incredible 18 months for us and for him. I am sure he’s in reflective mode,’ King told the BBC.

‘I said to him, “Do not underestimate how difficult what you’ve just achieved is to do”.

‘He’s done huge things in his playing career but to get out of this league as champions without a parachute payment, from where we’ve come from, is a huge achievement nobody can take away from him.

‘Everybody is going to get linked with everything, it’s a merry-go-round. It’s a bit disappointing clubs are appointing three or four managers a season.

‘We don’t want to be in those positions, that means something has gone a little bit astray.’

It appears ex-Chelsea winger Cole isn’t reading too much into the speculation linking Lampard with his former club either, with a ‘real challenge’ awaiting his ex-team-mate in the Premier League.

‘Frank should stay away from it [the Chelsea job]. The temptation for Frank, because he loves the club, would be to come back and give it another whirl,’ Cole told Paddy Power.

‘He’s done a fantastic job at Coventry. Nobody would have backed Coventry for promotion at the start of the season.

‘He’s got a real challenge to keep them in the league next season.’

According to Cole, Coventry may bring in as many as seven high-quality additions to give themselves the best possible chance of maintaining their Premier League status next season.

‘All his focus and mental energy should be about recruitment,’ he added.

‘He could be identifying five, six, seven players he wants [for Coventry].

‘If I were him, I wouldn’t go to Chelsea. In any job, you’re being judged on results, but at Chelsea, you don’t have full control over what you can do. That’s insane.’

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