Frank Lampard will return to the Chelsea dugout on an interim basis just two years after he was sacked. The Blues legend was replaced by Thomas Tuchel after enduring a difficult first half to the 2020/21 season with the club struggling down in ninth.
Lampard's return to Stamford Bridge was announced on Thursday, coming in to replace Graham Potter until the end of the season with Todd Boehly still searching for a new permanent manager to appoint. Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart are thought to be leading the manager search, with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique leading the race to become Potter's permanent replacement.
The former Brighton boss lasted just six months in charge of Chelsea after suffering the same fate as Tuchel in the same season. Potter won just 12 of his 32 games during his tenure, with Bruno Saltor having taken charge of the Blues' 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Chelsea confirm Frank Lampard return until the end of the season
Lampard's return may be the boost that the players and club need heading into the final run of fixtures. Thiago Silva is one player in the squad that will certainly get behind the 44-year-old after his actions following Chelsea's Champions League success just months after Lampard was sacked.
Shortly after winning the trophy, Silva sent Lampard a text message thanking the Englishman for bringing him to Stamford Bridge. Lampard, reflecting on watching Chelsea win the Champions League final after being sacked, told Gary Neville on the Overlap: "I found it tough watching that game.
"But when I walk around the streets here I had so many Chelsea fans come up to me: 'You were a part of that' and 'Did you enjoy that?' and I'm like 'Yeah'.
"But when I got over that feeling I felt a sense of, it has been my club for a long time and always will be and I can take some happiness from players like Mason [Mount] and Reece [James]. Thiago Silva sent me a beautiful message after the game sort of saying 'Thanks for bringing me to the club' and all this happened and when it settles you can absolutely look at that with a much more positive eye than the football side can sometimes take you."
Silva's brilliant gesture may hint that many players may still have plenty of respect for the Blues legend, despite all of the new signings made under Boehly's ownership. Lampard and Silva share a good friendship after the 44-year-old sent the Brazilian centre-back a photo of them together at the Maracana, where England drew 2-2 with Brazil in a friendly in 2013, shortly after Silva signed for the Blues.
Silva opened up about the gift in an interview with FourFourTwo, revealing what the gesture meant to him. "As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013," he said.
"It was a nice surprise. He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester City.
"I didn't think twice when I heard Chelsea were interested in me – not only because of their history but also because Willian and David Luiz invariably spoke highly of them. Marina [Granovskaia, club director] called me after I'd agreed, then passed me on to Frank.
"It was through a translator because I still don't speak English and his accent was even tougher for me!"
Lampard was the man to hand Mason Mount and Reece James their first chances in the senior team at Stamford Bridge, with both players now proving to be crucial figures in the squad. Silva is still recovering from injury, but the Brazilian will be very pleased to see the 44-year-old return to the club until the end of the season.
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