Birmingham City hold talks with Frank Lampard | OneFootball

According to Football Insider, the Blues held talks with the former midfielder over potentially replacing Tony Mowbray.

Mowbray stepped down from the role following the end of the season, having been absent since February due to medical reasons.

Gary Rowett oversaw the end of the season, with the Midlands outfit suffering relegation to League One.

The Blues will be hoping whoever is appointed as manager will be capable of guiding the team back to the Championship at the first attempt.

Birmingham City interview Frank Lampard

It is understood that Lampard impressed the Birmingham hierarchy when discussing the club’s managerial vacancy.

However, the 45-year-old has also been linked with Burnley, who are searching for a replacement to Vincent Kompany.

Lampard is currently out of work, with his last role in management coming over a year ago, spending time in charge of Chelsea on a caretaker basis.

The former England international previously had a stint as their permanent manager, also coaching Everton and Derby County in the past.

Lampard’s reputation took a dent with his previous stints at Everton and Chelsea, which could see him take the drop down the English football pyramid for his next role.

It remains to be seen whether he would be willing to work in League One, or if he is willing to wait for a Championship offer to arrive.

The Birmingham owners have a lot of ambition to bring the club back to a healthier position, having also been linked with the appointment of West Brom’s Carlos Corberan.

Lampard’s previous coaching experience in the EFL saw him lead Derby to a sixth place finish in the Championship, missing out on promotion with a 2-1 play-off final loss in 2019 to Aston Villa.

That was his only season in the EFL before moving on to become Chelsea manager.

Birmingham’s relegation to League One

The club was purchased by an American investor last summer, Tom Wagner, who endured a difficult first year as the Blues’ owners.

The US businessman made the controversial decision to sack popular manager John Eustace in October, replacing him with Wayne Rooney.

Rooney oversaw just 15 games before being replaced by Mowbray, with the team sliding down the table during that run.

Mark Venus temporarily took over for Mowbray, before Rowett oversaw the closing stages of the season.

He was unable to steer the team clear of the relegation zone, with the club finishing 22nd in the table.

Frank Lampard appointment would be too similar to Rooney mistake

Lampard’s experience as a manager has not been impressive, and he has shown a lack of tactical acumen for the top level.

Perhaps dropping down to League One could help him better develop as a coach, but Birmingham saw first hand what a coach out of his depth can do when they appointed Rooney last year.

Lampard’s arrival would be too similar, and would smack of the US owner wanting a big name in charge.

The big advantage of Lampard’s appointment would be his connections to big clubs and their young talents, but it is doubtful whether that would be worth it in the long run.