Coventry owner says Frank Lampard has found ‘happy place’ amid links with return to Chelsea | OneFootball

Coventry City owner Doug King has voiced his hope that manager Frank Lampard will remain at the club, despite speculation linking him with a return to Chelsea.

King believes Lampard has discovered his "happy place" at Coventry, a factor he hopes will deter any potential advances from his former club.

The managerial position at Chelsea became available on Wednesday following the dismissal of Liam Rosenior, who lasted just three months in the role after a fifth consecutive Premier League defeat.

Lampard, who has previously had two spells as head coach at Chelsea, guided Coventry to their first promotion to the top flight in 25 years last week, a significant achievement following a challenging interim period at Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign.

Speaking to BBC CWR, King praised Lampard’s impact: "He’s done a fantastic job, it’s been an incredible 18 months for us and for him. I said to him ‘do not underestimate how difficult what you’ve just achieved is to do’.

Chelsea are looking for a long-term replacement for Liam Rosenior (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

“He’s done huge things in his playing career but to get out of this league as champions without a parachute payment, from where we’ve come from, is a huge achievement nobody can take away from him."

King acknowledged the constant churn of managers in football but highlighted Lampard’s deep connection to Coventry.

"You can see how emotionally connected (Lampard) is with the city, you can see what it meant to him to get promotion and then the title and I think he’s found a happy place at the moment," he stated.

While conceding that a substantial offer could emerge, King concluded: "I just think he’s happy, I’m happy, everybody’s happy, we’ve just got smiles on our faces and we don’t worry about what may or may not happen for the head coach."

Lampard’s initial managerial tenure at Chelsea began in the summer of 2019, concluding 18 months later despite securing 44 wins from 84 matches.

He later returned for an 11-game caretaker role at the end of the 2022-23 season, losing eight matches, before taking the helm at Coventry in 2024.