It didn’t look believable, but now it’s done. Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has come back to Chelsea as interim head coach after Graham Potter’s departure. The club has turned to a familiar face to pick up the pieces of a forgettable campaign. With him, some old names have returned too. Frank Lampard’s coaching staff additions are interesting. There’s another Chelsea legend, a former long-time member of Chelsea, and a trusted lieutenant of Lampard with further history at Chelsea.
Chelsea will continue their process on the search for a new permanent head coach with Frank Lampard in place as caretaker until the end of the season. Lampard brining his own staff, expected to be Joe Edwards, Ashley Cole and Chris Jones. https://t.co/h0vPaMuhDj
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) April 6, 2023
Frank Lampard is aiming to bring back the successful times, and some old faces have returned for the same. In Ashley Cole, Joe Edwards, and Chris Jones, Frank Lampard’s coaching staff has three people who know the club inside out. This can only be good for morale. This Chelsea squad is good enough but is suffering from a crisis of confidence. Frank Lampard’s coaching staff would hope the presence of familiar faces sparks a run of form as the club enters the crunch part of the season.
Here’s a rundown on the three additions to Frank Lampard’s coaching staff:
Ashley Cole
Chelsea fans, and Premier League fans too need no introduction to Ashley Cole. As one of the best LBs in PL history, Ashley Cole has a long and trophy-laden history with Chelsea as a player.
The LB won the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, four FA Cups and a League cup during his nine-year stay at the club. Following retirement, his career has mirrored that of Frank Lampard. Ashley Cole has followed his former teammate as a trusted voice in Frank Lampard’s coaching staff.
🚨 BREAKING: Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole have agreed deals in principle to join Chelsea as interim manager and assistant.
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— Uber Chelsea FC (@UberChelseaFC_) April 5, 2023
He joined Derby County’s coaching staff post-retirement and followed Frank Lampard to Chelsea. Ashley Cole was an academy coach during Lampard’s first tenure as Chelsea head coach.
Cole followed Lampard to Everton as a first-team coach, and is now back at Chelsea again, this time with the senior team as an important voice in Frank Lampard’s coaching staff.
Joe Edwards
Joe Edwards is truly Mr Chelsea when it comes to the backroom staff. His addition to Frank Lampard’s coaching staff will reinforce the club’s ethos.
Edwards started off at Chelsea as the U18 manager and worked his way up to becoming Chelsea’s assistant manager to Frank Lampard during his first spell. Edwards is already familiar with many faces at Chelsea currently. He oversaw Chelsea’s domination of youth football. Talents like Mason Mount and Reece James had their formative football learning under him.
Since being assistant to Frank Lampard at Chelsea, he has become a crucial member of Frank Lampard’s coaching staff. He followed Lampard to Everton during his short stint there. Now back in familiar surroundings, Edwards will look to motivate and energise the youngsters at the club with his astute mind and magnetic personality.
Chris Jones
A name perhaps not as well-known as Edwards and Cole, but equally as important. Chris Jones spent 13 years at Chelsea, from 2006 to 2018, before catching Lampard’s eye. Since then, he has become a trusted member of Frank Lampard’s coaching staff.
Jones worked as a fitness coach for Chelsea’s senior team from 2009 to 2018. After this spell, he followed Lampard to Derby and has been with him at every club since. However, his progress could be seen from the fact that after being a fitness coach at Derby, he was promoted to Chelsea’s assistant manager during Lampard’s stay at the club. Chris Jones joined Lampard at Everton as well and now follows him back to where it all began from him.
They say you should never go back but the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane would disagree. For Frank Lampard and his coaching staff, there is nothing much to lose and everything to gain from this short interim spell.
Either they go on a winning run and improve their reputation, along with restoring Chelsea back on a path to the top, or they fail, in which case most of the blame would lie at the feet of Graham Potter. Either way, one thing that is not in doubt is that Frank Lampard will give his all and beyond for the club that made him.