Simon Jordan tells Doug King how to keep Frank Lampard at Coventry City | OneFootball

Speculation surrounds Frank Lampard's future at Coventry following their promotion success

Coventry City are preparing for life back in the Premier League after a 25 year absence from the division.

The Sky Blues won the Championship title with multiple games to spare after an impressive campaign under Frank Lampard.

Owner Doug King will already be working on the club’s plans for next season, with their sights set on surviving at the top level beyond just one year.

However, speculation is mounting on the future of Lampard, who has been in charge of the Sky Blues since November 2024.

The 47-year-old has been linked with a potential move back to Chelsea, as well as with Premier League side Crystal Palace.

The Coventry boss has a contract with the club until June 2027, but it remains uncertain whether he will be in the dugout for their return to the Premier League when next season gets underway.

Simon Jordan tells Doug King how to keep Frank Lampard

Simon Jordan has told Coventry that they will need to invest in building a competitive side in the Premier League next season in order to convince Lampard to stay.

He feels that the club have to avoid over-spending against their means, but that they have to invest in order to give a good go of competing in the top flight long-term.

“[Lampard] will feel he needs to be given sufficient tools perhaps to even stay in the job,” said Jordan, via Talksport.

“Do I venture that particular thought process?

“But the fact is that you will need to be competitive.

“There is a difference in quality between the Championship and the Premier League.

“You don’t have to take my word for it, just look at the table.

“Look at the Premier League, look at the teams that go up, look at the teams that come down.

“Coventry haven’t spent 25 years outside of the Premier League to go down with a whimper.

“That being said, they will also want to be sensible about the fact that the balance of probability is, yes, they might.

“And they will want to make sure that they don’t disadvantage themselves and put themselves in the cart economically by making big investments that can’t be sustained in the longer term and become a problem if the worst was to happen.”

Coventry had a relatively quiet summer last year following their play-off semi-final defeat to Sunderland.

Lampard had guided the team to fifth in the table in his first season in charge at the CBS Arena, and he oversaw a transfer window that led to Luke Woolfenden, Kaine Kesler-Hayden arriving, along with Jahnoah Markelo signing in January.

Miguel Ángel Brau also joined Coventry as a free agent, while Carl Rushworth agreed a season-long loan.

Min-hyeok Yang, Frank Onyeka and Romain Esse all also joined on loan in the January window to bolster the team’s promotion hopes.

It could be a much busier summer for Coventry following their promotion success, although the club will want to iron out Lampard’s future first before committing to any signings.

While he still has 12 months remaining on his current deal, speculation isn’t going away even with their Championship title win, which was sealed with an emphatic 5-1 victory against Portsmouth on 21 April.

Their final league game will come this weekend away to Watford on Saturday in a 12.30pm kick-off.

Doug King has to back Frank Lampard in the summer

Coventry know all too well the risks of committing more money than they can afford, and this rise back to the Premier League has been about their journey in overcoming those past financial mistakes.

But King will have to invest in the team if they’re to be competitive in the Premier League next season, and that will help convince Lampard to stay as well.

The Sky Blues’ current squad has done well in the Championship, but an extra level of quality will be needed in order to fight in the top flight.

If Lampard feels he has the backing of the board, then he should have no reason to jump ship given their current trajectory.