Manchester United great Nicky Butt has urged Chelsea to bring Frank Lampard back to Stamford Bridge as manager, claiming the club legend would do an “amazing job” in a second permanent spell.
Nicky Butt Tells Chelsea to Bring Back Frank Lampard and Sack Liam Rosenior
Lampard currently has Coventry City on the brink of Premier League promotion. The Sky Blues need just one point from their remaining four games to secure a top-flight return.
Under Lampard, Coventry have lost only seven matches and scored 84 goals – 11 more than any other Championship side.
Butt believes this success proves Lampard has grown as a coach.
“He got the job too early the first time,” Butt said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
“He had a transfer embargo so he had to use lots of young players. That must have been difficult.”
Lampard’s first Chelsea stint ended in January 2021 after a promising start that included a fourth-place finish and an FA Cup final.
He later struggled at Everton and had a brief, unsuccessful return as Chelsea’s caretaker manager in 2023, winning just one of 11 matches.
But Butt insists Lampard has learned from those experiences.
“People need to understand that transfer embargo meant he relied on young players. He would be a totally different manager now.
Working with better, more technical players would make it easier for him to get his messages across.”
The comments come as current Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior faces growing pressure.
Chelsea exited the Champions League to PSG and have slipped to sixth in the Premier League, four points outside the top five.
While the club wants to give Rosenior more time, Butt suggests Lampard would be a smart alternative.
“If Frank went back to Chelsea with all the experience he has now, I think he would do an amazing job,” Butt added.
“It wouldn’t be a stupid thing to go and get him back.”
For now, Lampard remains focused on finishing the job at Coventry.
But if Rosenior’s situation worsens, Chelsea’s hierarchy may face a familiar question: is it time to bring a club legend home?
