Former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has been appointed as new head coach of Championship side Coventry City, the club announced on Thursday.
Lampard, 46, joins the Sky Blues on a two-and-a-half-year deal, succeeding compatriot Mark Robins, who was relieved of his duties earlier this month after almost eight years in charge.
Coventry currently sits 17th in the Championship standings, two points above the relegation zone, and Lampard will be joined by the duo of Joe Edwards and Chris Jones, who he has previously worked with.
A new chapter in Coventry.
Welcome, Frank. 🩵 pic.twitter.com/YIhy3cRjb9
— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) November 28, 2024
Lampard, who became Coventry’s first hire under the new management of owner Doug King, who took over the club in January 2023, gets his fifth managerial role.
“I am delighted that Frank Lampard has agreed to join our club as Head Coach,” King said in statement on the club website. “Frank cut his teeth in the Championship and knows what is needed in this League to be successful.
“His experiences thereafter at Chelsea and Everton will ensure he brings to our talented squad clear understanding of exactly what is needed to succeed at the very top level that we as a Club are striving to reach.”
Lampard formerly coached Derby County for a season in the Championship, leading them to the playoffs, where they were outgunned by Aston Villa in the final. He followed up with stints at Chelsea (twice) and Everton, where he was replaced by Sean Dyche in January 2023.
Lampard has an uphill task of turning Coventry’s season around as the Sky Blues have been far off the same team that got to the FA Cup semi-finals in the 2023-24 season and were just an overturned VAR call away from playing in the final at Wembley Stadium.
His first game in charge will be in front of their home fans inside the Coventry Building Society Arena, where they will lock horns against 21st-placed Cardiff City on Saturday, November 30.
