Coventry City and Frank Lampard: What is happening? | OneFootball

Football League World provides a round-up of the situation regarding Frank Lampard and Coventry City

Coventry City have been managerless ever since club chairman Doug King took the decision to dismiss long-serving boss Mark Robins from his duties following a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Derby County in early November.

Although the Sky Blues have not performed well in the Championship this season, the decision to sack Robins was controversial, due to the fact that the 54-year-old had guided the club from League Two to the second tier.

He then took the club to the 2023 Championship play-off final in which they missed out on promotion to the Premier League via a cruel penalty shootout defeat to Luton Town.

Robins and the Sky Blues would make their Wembley return just a year later though, as they went toe-to-toe with Manchester United in last season's FA Cup semi-final.

Meanwhile, following the former manager's dismissal, Frank Lampard has emerged as the frontrunner to take the vacancy at the CBS Arena.

Lampard could have been in the Sky Blues dugout by now

It has been almost three weeks since the West Midlands outfit sacked Robins, yet neither Lampard nor any other candidate has replaced the 54-year-old yet.

As per BBC Sport, King revealed that the former Derby County, Chelsea and Everton boss had applied for the job, and was among the contenders.

Then, Football Insider reported that Lampard had agreed terms with the Sky Blues and would be appointed following the club's fixture with Sheffield United last weekend.

Potential stumbling block appears in Sky Blues' hunt for Lampard

On Tuesday afternoon, while the Sky Blues players were preparing for their visit to Burnley, under the continued stewardship of interim boss Rhys Carr, the Daily Mail's sports journalist, Tom Collomosse, revealed a potential stumbling block between Coventry and the appointment of their potential new manager.

Collomosse reported that while Lampard is a prominent target, he wants to overhaul the backroom staff and bring in his own coaches, which would come at significant cost.

To which Collomosse said: "It’s hard to say because it comes down to whether DK (King) thinks it’s worth paying for. If he does, it can happen now.

"But if he doesn’t, it’s over to another candidate."

If Lampard's reported demand to bring in his own backroom staff does mean that the Sky Blues are unable to agree terms with the former England midfielder, then King will have to look elsewhere.

According to The Sun, Ruud van Nistelrooy has also applied to become Robins' successor, following a brief spell as Man United interim boss.

The Dutchman took the managerial reigns at Old Trafford after the sacking of his compatriot Erik ten Hag, which came after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United last month.

The 48-year-old's spell in temporary charge of the Red Devils was successful, as he oversaw two emphatic wins over Leicester City, in the EFL Cup and Premier League respectively, either side of a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and a 2-0 victory over Greek side PAOK in the Europa League, before Ruben Amorim arrived on a permanent basis.

If Lampard does not get the Sky Blues job, then van Nistelrooy's recent record with the Red Devils could be enough to convince King that he is the right man for the role.