Coventry City eyeing Derby County boss if Frank Lampard leaves | OneFootball

Coventry City's number-one target to replace Frank Lampard if he leaves the CBS Arena has been revealed

Coventry City are on the cusp of achieving promotion to the Premier League in Frank Lampard's first full campaign in charge, having succeeded long-serving ex-boss Mark Robins in November 2024.

The Sky Blues are positioned at the summit of the league table with 84 points and four games to spare, boasting an almighty 12-point advantage over second-placed Ipswich Town.

Kieran McKenna's side do hold the advantage of having two games in hand, although Coventry have doubled down on their efforts to secure the Championship title in recent times and could mathematically seal promotion at home to bottom-placed outfit Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon if Middlesbrough and Millwall drop points in their respective race for a top-two spot.

It would, at this late stage, require something miraculous and wholly unprecedented for Coventry to not end their 25-year absence from the Premier League and bring top-flight football back to this corner of the Midlands come August.

But, should Coventry return to the promised land, they may still find themselves sweating over the futures of a number of assets. Star midfielder Jack Rudoni and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, who has shone on loan from Brighton and is naturally being eyed up for a permanent switch to the CBS Arena, are both reportedly of interest to Newcastle United, and Lampard's position is also coming into question amid talk of a third managerial move to Chelsea.

Reports linking Lampard with a shock return to Stamford Bridge are only intensifying as uncertainty over Liam Rosenior's future continues to rumble on, and it has now emerged exactly who owner Doug King would want to hire as a replacement for the ex-Derby County and Everton boss if the worst happens.

Coventry City eyeing Derby County boss John Eustace if Frank Lampard leaves for Chelsea

Touted interest in Lampard's services has seldom been in short supply following his return to management at Coventry, where he has proved an outstanding success and has rebuilt his own reputation in the dugout.

There have been a host of links to Premier League clubs throughout the season, but this time, as per a fresh report from Football Insider, Coventry are drawing up contingency plans for life without the 47-year-old if he does move on in the coming months.

According to the latest update, former Hull City head coach Rosenior is increasingly likely to face the sack this summer after a mixed reign in West London and, as a result, Coventry are growing more fearful about receiving an approach from Chelsea which could turn Lampard's head.

It's said that an approach is expected to land, although the report does add that it remains unclear whether Lampard would want to leave Coventry for a third managerial stint with the Blues.

Should he decide to do that, though, the Sky Blues have reportedly identified Derby boss John Eustace as a leading contender to take over.

The stance of Eustace, who has enjoyed a commendable first full season in charge of top-six hopefuls Derby, appears to be more clear at this moment in time, with the ex-Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers figure described as being prepared to jump at the chance to manage in the Premier League.

Any potential advances for Eustace would only be aided by the fact that he graduated through Coventry's youth ranks and made close to 100 appearances before enjoying a storied EFL career, and while Derby may make it difficult for the former midfielder to be prised away from Pride Park, Coventry will hope it doesn't come to that in any case.

John Eustace has excelled at Derby County amid Coventry City interest

Eustace is a manager with a growing reputation, and is on track to record the highest league finish of his managerial career with Derby.

He steadied the ship in the East Midlands last term and sealed survival on the final day after succeeding Paul Warne at a stage where the Rams represented likely candidates for relegation straight back down to League One, but they've been anything but this time around and could still gatecrash the top-six.

Derby are in eighth position right now and find themselves just three points shy of Southampton in sixth, although the Saints' imperious streak of form and game in hand means it's unlikely to see County overtaking Tonda Eckert's side.

Another season in the Championship could await, then, and that would be no failure for Derby considering just how far they have come in a short space of time and Eustace has built the foundations to enable the Rams to be seriously competitive towards a long-awaited Premier League return in the coming years.

However, just how patient Eustace himself is willing to be with the prospect of proving his worth at top-flight level elsewhere potentially available now awaits to be seen, with both Coventry and Derby supporters bound to be biting their nails over what sagas could play out involving the two managers in question.