"Welcome back home legend" - Chelsea fans react as former superstar Frank Lampard appointed interim manager until end of the season

Chelsea fans have given Frank Lampard a hero’s welcome following the confirmation of his appointment as the club’s caretaker manager.

The Blues dismissed Graham Potter as manager on April 2, the day after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa and slipped to 11th place in the league standings. A number of top-tier managers have since been linked to become Chelsea’s next head coach, but the club have turned to a familiar face to steady the ship for now.

As confirmed by the club’s official announcement on Twitter, club legend Lampard will remain in charge until the end of the 2022-23 season. According to multiple sources, the club will continue their search for a long-term manager while Lampard takes care of day-to-day chores.

Frank Lampard returns as Caretaker Manager until the end of the season. 🤝

Fans have welcomed their former captain with open arms, wishing him all the best for his upcoming stint. Here’s how the Blue Army has reacted on Twitter:

@ChelseaFC Welcome back Legend. https://t.co/FCqJdyl7HM

@ChelseaFC Good luck Frank 💙

@ChelseaFC @Plettigoal what a strange roundabout

@ChelseaFC Welcome home, Legend! 💙

@ChelseaFC SUUUPER SUPER FRANK
SUPER SUPER FRANK
SUPER SUPER FRANK
SUPER FRANKIE LAMPARDDD

@ChelseaFC Welcome back home legend 💙💐

Lampard, of course, has already had a spell as Chelsea's manager. He replaced Maurizio Sarri in July 2019 and was in charge of the club until January 2021. He managed them 84 times, averaging 1.75 points per game.

In his playing career, the former England midfielder featured in 648 games for Chelsea, scoring 211 times and providing 145 assists. He won 13 trophies in as many years in west London, including three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.

Simon Jordan claims Chelsea’s decision to rehire Frank Lampard is “lazy and uninspired”

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has ripped into Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for re-hiring Frank Lampard as the club’s manager. He claimed that Lampard failed to impress in his first spell at Stamford Bridge and accused him of doing a disastrous job at Everton as well.

❌ “Frank’s been patently unsuccessful.”

😡 “It’s lightweight, populist thinking! It’s lazy, formulaic & uninspiring.”

🤦‍♂️ “If this is the blueprint for an iconic, elite, £2.5 billion club…”

Simon Jordan 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 Boehly’s decision to re-appoint Lampard at #CFC 🔥 https://t.co/bjGKyyy5RX

On talkSPORT, Jordan said:

“He lost the FA Cup final that perhaps they should have won. The myth was they didn't get any players in. They had a pretty strong squad and they signed Christian Pulisic and they paid for him during that transfer window.

“Then you get to the second season and it wasn't good enough. It wasn't good enough in terms of the performance of the team. The style of their play and the outcomes they were getting.”

He continued:

“He went to Everton and they stayed up because there were two, three worse sides in the division. It wasn't because of wonderful management. Then with due respect to Frank, they were poor. Poor, poor, poor.

“So, if that's the blueprint, for an iconic and elite £2.5billion football club, to solve a problem by going back to someone they need to galvanise a fanbase with, then there is something lacking in their thinking.”

Jordan went on to add:

“I think it's lazy, formulaic and uninspired thinking from Boehly. For Frank Lampard, well, you're a lucky boy. You've got an opportunity.

“This what the football world does. It repackages people that have ultimately failed in one guise and puts them back into another opportunity and it is perplexing to me.”

Lampard was in charge of the Toffees between January 2022 and January 2023. He managed them in 44 matches, averaging a point per game. Lampard was sacked after a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United in the Premier League, which left the Merseysiders in 19th place in the rankings.