Chelsea are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Frank Lampard as their new head coach on a short-term contract.
When Graham Potter was removed from his position in the dugout on Sunday, Bruno Saltor - one of his coaching staff - was placed in interim charge.
The Spaniard earned a goalless draw versus Liverpool on Tuesday, Chelsea producing an encouraging display without finding the back of the net, and he appeared to put himself in line to remain in charge for future fixtures.
However, Lampard - a club legend and former manager of the Blues - was in attendance at Stamford Bridge for that match, and it appears that his surprise visit involved discussions with the powers-that-be.
Throughout Wednesday, it has been claimed that Luis Enrique has travelled to London and subsequently held positives talks with Chelsea's hierarchy, while discussions with Julian Nagelsmann and other contenders will take place in due course.
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Nevertheless, according to The Athletic, it is expected that Lampard will take the reins on a deal until the end of the season.
The relevant parties have held talks and Lampard is seemingly ready to accept the opportunity to return to a club where he enjoyed widespread success during his playing days.
Should the 44-year-old be confirmed as the new interim Chelsea boss, it will come just over two months after he was sacked as Everton manager.
Lampard collected just two points from his final eight league games with the Toffees, and the Englishman was seemingly ready to wait until the summer and beyond to ponder further opportunities.
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Instead, Lampard is in line to be back in the dugout on Saturday afternoon when Chelsea square off against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, that encounter taking place four days before the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In his previous stint as Chelsea boss between July 2019 and January 2021, Lampard recorded 44 wins and 23 defeats during his 84-match stint in charge.
During that period, Lampard earned the club a top-four finish in the 2019-20 Premier League despite Chelsea being hit with a transfer ban, reached an FA Cup final and had Chelsea in first place in the top flight in December of the 2020-21 campaign.
Soon afterwards, though, an eight-match period in the league which consisted of five defeats and just seven points being accumulated led to his departure.
Darren Plant
