Exclusive: "No is the answer" - Sky pundit reacts to Coventry City, Frank Lampard exit talk involving West Ham | OneFootball

Lampard has reportedly emerged as a candidate to take over from Graham Potter amid sack calls at the London Stadium

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert Don Goodman has admitted how surprised he was to see links of a potential return to West Ham United for Coventry City manager Frank Lampard recently come to the fore.

The 47-year-old has endured an extremely successful short period in charge of the Sky Blues since taking over from Mark Robins last November, initially taking his side from an inconsistent outfit inside the Championship's bottom half to the play-off semi-finals, narrowly losing on aggregate to eventual Wembley winners, Sunderland.

As a result of such form, continued backing from City owner Doug King and having an extremely talented squad at his disposal, many are backing the West Midlands side to finish inside the top six for a third time in four seasons in Lampard's first full season in charge at the CBS Arena.

Coventry's early-season results have also been rather eye-catching, as they ended the month of August as one of four sides maintaining an unbeaten start to the campaign, whilst also scoring a staggering 14 goals in just four league games, seven of which came in a home rout against Queens Park Rangers.

However, amid a frustrating start to the season for The Hammers under Graham Potter, there has been recent talk of a potential return to East London for Lampard, 24 years on from his controversial switch to Chelsea as a player.

Don Goodman issues "surprised" verdict on West Ham United managerial links to Coventry City boss Frank Lampard

The Lampard family have been synonymous with the East London side over the course of history, with Frank Sr. a part of two FA Cup-winning sides in 1975 and 1980 at Upton Park, as well as winning the second division title in the 1980/81 campaign.

His son, and the current Sky Blues boss, also progressed through the ranks at West Ham, going on to make 187 appearances for the club, during which he scored 38 times, before moving to Stamford Bridge for £11m in the summer of 2001.

As a result, many Hammers supporters have never let the England international forget his decision when facing off against him as a player or in the dugout.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, the aforementioned Goodman, like many, was surprised to see claims from Football Insider that Lampard has emerged as a candidate to take over from Potter amid sack calls surrounding the former Swansea City boss.

"This really struck me when I read this question," Goodman told FLW. "Because, as I understand it, Frank Lampard is not the most popular man with West Ham United supporters.

"I think that, since the moment he left, under the circumstances he left, he absolutely gets slaughtered when he goes back to West Ham.

"It's not a link that I could see," Goodman stated. "I understand he's doing well at the moment.

"West Ham have just had a big win themselves, which, you'd like to think would give them a platform to build on under Graham Potter.

"But no is the answer. It's not really, given that history or the attitude from West Ham fans towards Frank Lampard, a link that i could truly see," the pundit added.

Frank Lampard would be under immediate pressure at West Ham United if the Hammers pressed forward with Coventry City raid

As Goodman alluded to, West Ham's first win of the season — a surprise 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest — prior to the international break, is likely to buy Potter slightly more time in the dugout after three prior defeats in the Premier League and EFL Cup.

Even if there was no history between the supporters and Lampard, he would be under pressure to deliver straight away given West Ham's plight away from European competition ever since they won the UEFA Conference League in 2022/23 under David Moyes, with Julen Lopetegui and Potter unable to convince the masses in the capital.

However, such is the attitude towards Lampard from Hammers supporters, it would only add further pressure on Lampard's shoulders, meaning even an early dip in form would cause unrest.

As a result, it remains to be seen whether this somewhat surprise link comes to fruition, whilst Coventry supporters will hope their current boss realises his ambition of returning to the top-flight as a manager in charge of the Sky Blues after two spells at Stamford Bridge in differing circumstances, as well as a mixed period in charge of Everton.