FRANKLY, IT WAS A LOSE-LOSE SITUATION
Lampard clearly wants to be a boss again, but struggling Norwich may have done his reputation more harm than good
FRANK LAMPARD wants to get back into management – but Norwich City was too much of a risk.
Former Chelsea boss Lampard knows his next job must be right to help him rejoin England’s Golden Generation of blossoming managers.
Steven Gerrard has taken over at Aston Villa and Wayne Rooney is defying the odds at crisis club Derby County.
Now Lampard is keen to get back into management after 10 months on the sidelines since being sacked by the Blues.
But it will mean putting his reputation back on the line – and making the wrong choice could wreck his whole career.
Clearly Lampard was interested in the vacancy at Carrow Road as he was interviewed twice before deciding to turn them down.
Norwich are bottom of the Premier League, are odds-on to be relegated, and there is not a huge transfer kitty to spend in the January transfer window. They are a terrific club, with a good supporter base, and their owners have a long-term plan.
Yet whoever succeeds Daniel Farke will inherit a club fighting for their lives. It is a pretty thankless task and one which could quickly undo Lampard’s previous good work at both Derby and Chelsea, where he established himself as one of English football’s brightest young managers.
The 43-year-old did well with the Rams, guiding them to the Championship play-offs, before moving to Chelsea where he actually did a great job – no matter what his critics might say.
Lampard got the Blues back into the Champions League places amidst a transfer ban, took them to an FA Cup final, and his name is still sung at Stamford Bridge despite all of Thomas Tuchel’s success since taking over in January.
When you take all of that into consideration, Lampard must have been hoping for a bigger club, a better opportunity, and yet his willingness to be interviewed by Norwich does still show that he was interested.
Lampard has been in the frame
for previous jobs, like Crystal Palace and Newcastle, but neither came particularly close.
Now he has pulled out of the running for the Canaries.
But having lost his job at Chelsea back in January, the danger is that you can often be a long time forgotten.
Lampard was hurt and scarred by his sudden departure from the Bridge. The club legend ousted at the first sign of trouble.
There will be a burning sense of determination to prove a few people wrong – not least the Blues’ hierarchy. And maybe Lampard feels he should be in the frame for a better opportunity post-Chelsea.
But it now appears he will have to work his way back up to the top of management again and take it step by step.
But he does not need this job. He was an incredibly successful player and has a wonderful lifestyle with no financial stress or strains.
Why anyone would swap that lifestyle is anyone’s guess. And that is still the biggest obstacle in his return to management.
The job and opportunity has to be right.