Chelsea

Frank Lampard: 'I have no issue with Todd Boehly visit to Chelsea dressing room'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 17 April 2023

Lampard: 'I have no issue with Boehly dressing room visit'

Caretaker manager Frank Lampard says that he has no issues with co-owner Todd Boehly entering the Chelsea dressing room, as he did after Saturday's defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Frank Lampard has insisted that he has no problem with Todd Boehly speaking to his Chelsea players after the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.

In a match which was deemed to be a must-win, Chelsea took the lead before they deservedly succumbed to a 2-1 defeat, allowing Brighton to have 26 shots in comparison to their eight.

Lampard acknowledged after the match that the Blues were fortunate to only lose by a narrow scoreline, the team posting defeat for the third successive time since his appointment as caretaker manager.

Reports emerged in The Telegraph that Todd Boehly and other club officials entered the dressing room in the aftermath of the latest setback.

Boehly and co are said to have spent approximately an hour dissecting Chelsea's targets going forward, providing both positive and negative feedback.

Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly before the match on March 4, 2023 © Reuters

Ahead of Tuesday's Champions League fixture with Real Madrid, the development was naturally addressed at a press conference.

When quizzed on the matter, Lampard stated that he was "comfortable" with Boehly taking such a decision, indicating that he preferred a hands-on owner rather than someone who watched on from afar.

Speaking to reporters, Lampard said: "I am comfortable with that. It was maybe a criticism of our old owner of not coming to the games and not being around, which wasn't always true, but I think when an owner is very invested in their interest, as an interest in the team and wants to help, I think it is their prerogative to have an input.

"I remember moments as a player where owners first started coming into dressing rooms, it happened here at Chelsea and hadn't happened to me before, I remember being really happy that the owner was involved, you could high-five them, listen to them and feel them, so I don't think that is a bad thing about identity and where a club wants to go.

Chelsea's Raheem Sterling in action with Real Madrid's David Alaba and Federico Valverde on April 12, 2023 © Reuters

"I have no problem with it, from my point of view. I had my things to say after the game. If an owner wants to come into the dressing room and be positive and speak to the players, then I think it's absolutely his prerogative.

Chelsea head into the reverse fixture with Los Blancos trailing by a 2-0 scoreline on aggregate courtesy of goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio at the Santiago Bernabeu.

If Chelsea do not overturn that deficit, the West Londoners will realistically be guaranteed to miss out on Champions League football for next season.

Lampard's side currently sit 10 points adrift of seventh-placed Brighton in the Premier League standings, the Seagulls also playing two matches fewer than Chelsea.