Lampard SACKED
Frank Lampard was fired by Chelsea on Monday halfway through his second season in charge of the London club after being unable to replicate his success as the club's record scorer in his first Premier League managerial job. Chelsea has lost five of its last eight Premier League games and dropped to ninth place, despite Lampard benefiting from nearly $300 million spent on new players for this season. Chelsea said the performances had not shown "any clear path to sustained improvement" - making a change of managers necessary. "This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him," owner Roman Abramovich said. Chelsea brought back its midfield great as coach in 2019 despite him having only a single season's experience in management in the second division with Derby. He achieved Champions League qualification in his first season by securing a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. Lampard is a Chelsea great after scoring 211 goals from central midfield from 2001-14.