"Stars aligned" - Frank Lampard opens up on swapping Derby County for Chelsea | OneFootball

It seems Frank Lampard never had any doubts about leaving his role as Derby County to take charge of Chelsea.

That's after the former Rams boss revealed it was a "no-brainer" for him to accept the position in the Stamford Bridge dugout, even if he admits his route to getting the job, was not the most obvious one.

How did Lampard do as Derby County manager?

Lampard took charge of Derby in the summer of 2018, in what was his first role in senior management.

His debut campaign at Pride Park was a largely successful one, as he guided the club to the Championship play-off final during the 2018/19 season.

However, the Rams would miss out on promotion back to the Premier League, after they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in that final at Wembley.

That would prove to be Lampard's last game in charge of Derby, as he left the club last summer to return to Chelsea, where he remains the club's record goalscorer, this time in a managerial capacity.

Now it appears that the former England international never had any doubts about taking that role at Stamford Bridge, even if he was aware that the appointment was a somewhat unconventional one given his managerial background.

What has Lampard said about leaving Derby for Chelsea?

On Monday, Lampard appeared on Sky Sports' coverage of Chelsea's trip to Fulham, a game they won 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

While on the show, the now former Chelsea boss discussed the process that led to his appointment and Stamford Bridge, and his decision to make that move.

Reflecting on taking over as Chelsea manager, Lampard said: "A year at Derby County and to get into a play-off final, it’s not the pathway to being a Chelsea manager, so I understood going into it that a lot of the reasons were the stars aligning.

“With the embargo a lot of managers that would normally get the Chelsea job at that time maybe did not want it or were not prepared to come given the situation. It worked out for me without a doubt.

“I have got a great history at the club and I took it on and the challenge with that was not a problem for me. It was a no brainer for me to take that job, to then try and show that I was capable of doing that job. I felt at home, but I knew that I still needed to do my work.”

How did Lampard do as Chelsea manager?

Lampard's first season in charge at Stamford Bridge saw the club finish fourth in the Premier League table, while they also reached the final of the FA Cup, where they were beaten by Arsenal.

However, the second season proved a greater challenge for Lampard, and he was sacked in January 2021 with the club eighth in the top-flight standings, five points adrift of a Champions League spot.

After a challenging spell with Everton, Lampard returned to Chelsea as interim manager for the final two months of last season.

That spell though, would also prove tough for him, with Lampard winning just once in the 11 games he took charge of in that second stint at Stamford Bridge, with the club finishing that campaign 12th in the Premier League.

Was Lampard right to leave Derby for Chelsea?

It is an interesting one to consider from Lampard's perspective given the circumstances.

On the one hand, you can understand why he would have wanted to take that role, given his long and deep connection with Chelsea.

However, as he acknowledges, it was a big step-up at the time given his managerial experience back then, and that arguably showed in the way things didn't quite work out back then, which combined with his subsequent managerial spells, may make it hard for him to get another job of that nature.