Chelsea in the wings but Derby boss Frank insists he’d be ‘stupid’ or ‘naive’ to get ideas above station

FRANK LAMPARD knows what it take to fill the Chelsea hot seat but reckons he has a bit to learn before he reaches that mark.

Chelsea playing legend Lampard has been hotly tipped to take over from Maurizio Sarri ( below).

But Lampard, who leads Derby into their eir East Midlands battle e with Nottingham Forest tonight, insisted: “I would be stupid or naive to get any ideas above ve my station of what might be the next step.

“I am here at Derby rby to work and at the minute e I am just trying to win games mes for this club.”

Sarri was facing g the sack ahead of yesterday’s y’s Carabao Cup Final with Manchester City.

Hit by a transfer sfer ban and likely to lose ose star player Eden en Hazard to Real al Madrid, Chelsea a would love a return n to the Lampard d trophy-winning days. ays. He won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup twice and the Europa League with them.

But Lampard, 40, only took his fi r st step into management with Derby nine months ago.

He watched Chelsea play City from the Derby team hotel yesterday and said: “All the speculation about me and Chelsea actually makes it easier for me in my job with Derby.

“My clarity of thought is on my job here. I am just dealing with what is in front of me. “I have 14 games to try to get us as high up the table as we can.”

On the FIFA transfer embargo Chelsea are appealing, Lampard added: “I don’t know any of the detail, but all the big clubs are always moving forward in terms of recruitment and who they th bring in so, of course, it will be damaging. “L “Let them have their ap appeal and see what the ou outcome is.” Following a dismal m midweek home defeat by Millwall, Lampard will tr try to extended Derby’s unbe unbeaten run in the A52 derb derby to seven games. M Martin O’Neill, making his debut as City Ground bo boss in the derby, re refuses to play down th the importance of the ga game.

A Rams win would ta take them into the top si six but Forest could get to within a point of D Derby with victory.