Frank Lampard has been out of work since July of 2021 after being dismissed by the Blues and ultimately replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
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Like most things with Everton this season, their search hire a new manager to replace Rafa Benitez has been weird and chaotic. At one point, it seemed like they were set to appoint Portuguese tactician Vitor Pereira before fan backlash, graffiti and a bizarre Sky Sports interview during which he said in response, “I will move forward with my life and if they want me they must call me.”
Well, it seems as if Pereira and the Toffees will move on with their lives. After a failed attempt to pry club legend Wayne Rooney out of a relegation-threatened Derby County side to fill Benitez’s vacancy, Everton finally zeroed in on a candidate — a former Three Lions teammate of Rooney’s — to take the job. On Friday, Everton agreed to appoint ex-Chelsea manager Frank Lampard the head coaching job, beating out Pereira and Duncan Ferguson, according to football insider Fabrizio Romano.
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The former Chelsea and Derby County manager has been out of work since July of 2021 after being dismissed by the Blues and ultimately replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who took the side to a Champions League title last season.
Frank Lampard set to be appointed as new Everton manager. Full agreement reached now. It’s done and sealed. ???????? #EFC
Club decision made tonight after conversations with Frankie, Vitor Pereira and Duncan Ferguson.
Confirmed as @SamWallaceTel @ElBobble also reported tonight. pic.twitter.com/FLei2x7OUQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2022
The Chelsea dismissal felt inevitable as Lampard was a manager to bridge the gap between the team having a transfer ban and being able to figure out the next manager coming in. But nonetheless, he was a club legend and during his time as coach, his faith in the youngsters paid dividends. He was able to take Mason Mount’s game to the next level and gave Callum Hudson-Odoi the confidence to succeed and pushing Reece James. Lampard helped show Chelsea that there is a path for the youth products from Cobham if they work hard enough and that’s something that Tuchel has kept.
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Lampard’s base 4-3-3 formation was great for scoring goals but defensively shaky which will suit the Everton style. During Lampard’s reign, Chelsea scored an impressive 107 goals in 57 matches while conceding 77. So at a minimum, Everton fans will get a fun brand of soccer, in comparison to what Benitez brought, but without the baggage of having managed Liverpool in the past.
It should be easy for Lampard to bring a new manager bounce as Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray are back and healthy. Losing Abdoulaye Doucoure for his first three weeks in charge will be tough to work around. Coming in at the end of the transfer window, Lampard will have to manage a race to avoid relegation with those already on the team. Everton has a good cast of youth players with Lewis Dobbin, Anthony Gordon and Jarrad Branthwaite who will likely get their chances under new management.
While at Chelsea, Lampard struggled to make in-game adjustments, but that’s something that will improve as he gets more games managed under his belt. He’ll have quite the challenge with an Everton board that hasn’t been able to decide what kind of team they want to be but there are worse options than going all in on their academy and Lampard if this is a long term appointment.
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