Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reckons Chelsea will appoint club legend Frank Lampard as their new manager - if they're hit with a transfer ban.
Current boss Maurizio Sarri’s position at Stamford Bridge is under threat, and Lampard, who has led Derby to the Championship play-off final, has been touted as a potential replacement.
But, earlier this month, the Blues saw their transfer ban for breaking youth transfer rules upheld by FIFA.
The club now remain unable to register new players in each of the next two transfer windows, meaning Christian Pulisic is set to be their only new face before the summer of 2020.
The decision, which was not completely unexpected, now sees the Premier League side head to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a final bid to overturn the ban.
In the meantime, the Blues appeal to CAS will see them seek also to have the ban frozen while the issue is ongoing - which could allow them to sign players this summer.
And Hasselbaink, who played alongside Lampard at Chelsea , has explained why he thinks his former team-mate could return to west London.
“If Chelsea get a transfer ban, I can see why they’d go for Frank Lampard,” he told William Hill .
“But let’s not forget there’s a manager in place at the moment who hasn’t had a bad year. It’s been difficult, but not bad.
“If they hire Frank, they will need to give him time. But I can understand why they want to go for him, and he’s with former Chelsea youth coach Jody Morris who knows all of the young players so I can see why.
“They would need to give him time to implement his way.”
