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Football London
Football London
Sport
Oliver Harbord

Next Chelsea manager: The key reasons Frank Lampard is front runner to replace Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri is getting closer and closer to a Chelsea exit with Frank Lampard being favourite to take over the head coach role.

Despite winning the Europa League and getting into next season's Champions League, Sarri is set to head to Juventus after telling the Blues of his wishes to leave the club.

It was an up and down campaign, with heavy defeats to Manchester City and Bournemouth being the real lows in the Premier League season.

However, having reached the targets set by the club, it is the relationship with the supporters that has finally broken down Sarri's time in west London after just 11 months.

Sarri did not win over the match-going supporters, who were left dismayed by his style of play and often stubbornness over tactics and a perceived lack of a 'Plan B'.

Another big thing that lost the majority of supporters was the lack of opportunity towards the youth players, especially in the first half of the season.

(Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

It almost cost Chelsea Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek struggled with back injury which curtailed his chances in the first team.

Andreas Christensen was stuck being Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz's back-up in the Premier League until the former picked up a serious knee injury.

However, there are a few reasons why Lampard is set to be the next Blues boss and why Chelsea are keen to bring him back.

The first is that Chelsea are still in the middle of a transfer embargo, meaning that the Blues are not able to register any new players this season and will be unable to replace Eden Hazard.

That means Chelsea are going to have to use a lot of the loanees when it comes to filling the squad, and Lampard is seen as the best candidate to make that work.

Along with bringing back Jody Morris as his assistant, a man who knows the youngsters very well after being the U18s head coach at Chelsea before heading to Derby County with Lampard.

Meanwhile, the Blues are keen to bring the feel-good factor to Stamford Bridge. After a lack of love from the terraces for Sarri, there will be quite the opposite if Lampard is the man in charge.

The Blues hierarchy are keen to have the fans back on side, with Lampard and Morris returning and also Petr Cech being part of the technical side as well.

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