Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has admitted that Chelsea should have appointed Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers instead of going with former Blues midfielder Frank Lampard at the helm. The 41-year-old Lampard is yet to win a game with Chelsea since the start of the new season and Merson believes that the West London club has made a mistake with this appointment.
What Was The Verdict Of The Arsenal Legend About Chelsea’s Managerial Hiring
There was plenty of joy in the summer in the Chelsea camp as they welcomed a club legend in the form of Frank Lampard. The former England midfielder replaced Maurizio Sarri as the Italian returned back to his native after just one season in charge of Chelsea. But the issue with Lampard is that he has only one year of managerial experience when he was coaching Derby County in the Championship. Lampard nearly got the Rams to Premier League promotion but the job at Chelsea was of much bigger magnitude.
More so, Chelsea was unable to sign any players in the summer transfer window as they are currently enduring a transfer ban which will keep them from bringing any other players until the summer next year. This adds to the difficulty of the job at Lampard’s end and he is still without a win in three games as Chelsea boss this season.
Was He Right About The Call About Getting Brendan Rodgers Over Frank Lampard?
Chelsea suffered a 4-0 thrashing against fierce rivals Manchester United. That was on the opening day of the Premier League season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took advantage of the mistakes made by a young Chelsea outfit. Lampard had a chance to get his hands on his first trophy. That was as Chelsea faced Liverpool in Istanbul for the UEFA Super Cup. Unfortunately the West Londoners lost out in a penalty shootout after the game ended 2-2.
Now, ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has stated that the Chelsea management hierarchy jumped in too early. That is to hire Frank Lampard. The 51-year-old believes that Brendan Rodgers would have been a better appointment. While speaking to the Daily Star, Merson said, “There is a lot of pressure on Frank Lampard to get that winning mentality. They have lost twice now and conceded six goals which are not great numbers. They need to start well at home. People will start questioning why they did not offer Brendan Rodgers the job. I have said before I think he would have been perfect. I just think none of the top name managers wanted the Chelsea job. They have sold their best player by a million miles and can not replace him because of the ban. Plus there is a lot of pressure and no job security. I do not think people were queuing up to take it. Chelsea should win this game. It is a hard one for them.”
Lampard managed his first game at Stamford Bridge this Sunday as his side drew 1-1. They faced Leicester City but the Foxes’ manager did not agree with Merson’s comments. He said, “Frank and (assistant) Jody (Morris) are a perfect fit for it. They both understand the fabric of the club. Frank understands the policy at the club, with the transfer ban. He is giving young players a chance, which perhaps in the past those young players would not get that opportunity. But, under Frank and Jody, young players are getting a chance to flourish now. He is doing a good job.”
