Chelsea yesterday appointed Frank Lampard as their manager and Jamie Redknapp has now asked the club to give him time.
He told Sky Sports News: “It’s a great move, not just for Frank but for Chelsea too. It’s astute, you need someone who can stabilise the club somewhat when you’ve lost your best player and under a transfer embargo.
“They’ve got one of their own, the fans adore him. He’ll need time, there’ll be a lot of changes; you can’t bring any personnel in to replace a big-name star like Eden Hazard. He’ll need to be given time, but he will – because he’s Frank Lampard.
“The expectation will be to finish in the top four, but they’ve got to be realistic. I think there’ll be moments in the season where it’ll be a struggle, because of the Hazard effect.
“It doesn’t matter what manager you have – Guardiola, Mourinho, anyone – they are going to struggle without that quality of player. But if they were to finish in the top four, that would be an amazing season considering the embargo and everything else.”
“I know he enjoyed his time at Derby, he had a great rapport with the fans but you can’t turn something like this down,” Redknapp said.
“Everyone will have their opinions, some people will say it’s too early for Frank, other people will say it’s the right time, but for someone like Frank – he knows the game, he’s worked with some of the best managers in the world, and in terms of timing it is the right time.
“The players will respect him, and patience will be the key.”
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