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Chelsea are set to appoint Frank Lampard as their new manager, although not without their fair share of dramas along the way.
Outgoing boss Maurizio Sarri ignored last minute pleas to say by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, with The Sun reporting that he rejected the offer because he felt “violated” by abusive fans. Instead, he will take up the vacant job at Juventus, and Chelsea will turn to club legend Lampard as the next man to lead the side.
He will not come cheap – Chelsea will have to pay his current employer £4 million Derby County of the compensation that they received from Juventus to secure his services.
Lampard is set to ring in former Chelsea youth coach Jody Morris, his trusted lieutenant at Derby, as his number two, and may look to bring in Didier Drogba as striker coach, whilst there may also be a role for Shay Given to work with the goalkeepers.
However, there is uncertainty about Gianfranzo Zola’s position at the club. Number two under Sarri, he is not prepared to accept a demotion under the new man.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.