Lampard answers whether he could turn Chelsea into ‘a Tottenham’

Frank Lampard completed his return to Chelsea earlier this week when he was appointed as their new manager on a three-year deal (Telegraph).

Chelsea are known for their hatred of Tottenham and since the Russian oil money arrived south of the river, they have enjoyed success which is a stark contrast from the days in the 1980s when they couldn’t even sell out Stamford Bridge.

They now find themselves in a transitional period following the arrival of Lampard coupled with the club’s two-window transfer ban (The Sun).

They appealed the decision, however it will not be heard until after the summer transfer window meaning they will not be able to recruit ahead of the new Premier League season.

Lampard was asked if their supporters could deal with a few seasons of transition similar to what Mauricio Pochettino has experienced in Tottenham after rebuilding the team which has a strong focus on young players, who have come through the academy.

He told The Telegraph: “I don’t want to jump into the future for us on that one. What I do have is huge respect for Pochettino … I think what Pochettino has done is he’s remained competitive, taken Tottenham to heights which, to be fair with Chelsea, we’ve been fighting on that real level for 15 years.

“He’s brought them up towards that level with some younger players, with the players he’s got there, the relationship, the rapport he has with the fans – that’s something I look upon now as a manager and say what a fantastic job he’s done. So I get that. In recent years, there is him, and [Jurgen] Klopp, who took four years to win the Champions League with great performances along the way.

“I think we probably are in a position now, with the [transfer] ban, with the good young players that we’ve got – we have to look at it slightly differently. That’s not me shying away from wanting to be competitive. But I think I want to show the fans in the way we play and in the feeling – and I keep talking about feeling for the club because I think fans respect that – that the fans really enjoy coming to watch us play. And we’ll try to be successful.”

Opinion

While Chelsea have gone through managers at an alarming rate in recent years, Mauricio Pochettino’s five-year tenure at Tottenham has helped to transform the club both on and off the pitch.

Never have I felt such a synergy between the supporters and the club until Pochettino united everyone. We have a very special manager, who every budding Premier League boss should rightly look up to; no matter who they manage.

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