‘I’d hate to see Frank Lampard take this job next – he needs to be managing good players’

Harry Redknapp would hate to see Frank Lampard give up on his managerial career in England. Redknapp hopes a top club will come along and offer his currently unemployed nephew another chance to prove his credentials.

Lampard’s most recent role was in an interim capacity at Chelsea, his second stint in charge of the west Londoners, towards the end of the 2022/23 season. That ended in disappointment, however, with the 45-year-old clinching just one victory in Chelsea’s last 11 matches.

Just over a year on, Lampard has been linked with roles at recently demoted Burnley and Birmingham City, as well as an international post with Canada, though he has yet to agree a move anywhere.

After narrowly missing out on Premier League promotion through the play-offs with Derby County in 2019, Lampard spent a year and a half at his beloved Blues – his first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge – where he had to navigate the challenges of a transfer embargo. He was sacked in January 2021, after which he took a year-long break from football before dramatically steering Everton to safety, though he lasted just 12 months at Goodison Park.

Everton are still grappling with their own ongoing issues, particularly financial ones due to a failed takeover, and Redknapp believes the challenging circumstances Lampard has faced so far have prevented him from fully showcasing his abilities in the dugout.

The former West Ham and Tottenham manager is eager to see the Chelsea and England legend remain in England instead of seeking pastures new overseas. Speaking exclusively to Football London, Redknapp said: “I hope he gets a job in England somewhere. I think he’s just been unfortunate.

“Like everything, you need good players. Chelsea was a poisoned chalice. Whoever’s been at Chelsea recently, they haven’t managed to turn it around, it’s been hard. It was for Pochettino this year, it was hard for Potter, it’s just that it was a hard gig. They recruited badly. Frank was left with a very average team, which wasn’t easy.

“He did ok at Everton, but again Everton was tough. Sean Dyche has done great Everton, keeping them up, but that’s about where Everton are as a club, in a bit of turmoil. They’re looking for an owner, it wasn’t an easy job to go into keeping them up, like when they turned it around when they were 2-0 down at home and came back against Palace. Who’s achieving anything now? He couldn’t do nothing there.

“For Frank, I’d like to see him get a team where he’s got a chance to achieve something. He had no chance at Everton to achieve anything except keeping them up, then he’s gone back to Chelsea, who were in a mess had a transfer embargo. He knows the game inside out. He’s got great knowledge of the game. He was a fantastic professional. Frank needs to go somewhere where he’s got a chance to be successful.”

Redknapp, who handed Lampard his first-team breakthrough during his early days at West Ham, added: “I’d hate to see him take another middle of the road job where you’ve got no chance of being a success. This is important for him now. He’s got to make the right decision.”

The veteran believes that, in the right environment, Lampard could forge a successful team. But whether any club with those foundations in place would gamble on Lampard at present is another matter, given his managerial reputation has taken a hit.

Yet Lampard’s wealth of experience as a top-flight player could be invaluable, as showcased by the success of other former great midfielders like Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, and Xabi Alonso, who have transitioned well into management.

With over 30 years of managerial experience under his belt, Redknapp even went on to say: “If Frank walked into Man City tomorrow if Pep went there’s every chance you win the title again next year.

“But if he took the Leicester job or whatever, you’ve got a job on to try to stay up. It’s about where you are, it’s about good players. People get carried away. They forget Vincent Kompany won the league at Burnley. Absolutely ran away with it, he did great. I love Vincent Kompany, but he had players there that were too good. They were the best team in that league. Then they come into the Premier League, they can’t win a game hardly because they’re different levels.

“Ain’t nothing to do with the manager, he’s still the same man. He’s still saying the same things. He’s still training them the same. Everything’s the same except the players are playing at a different level. You can go and be the British 100 metre champion and then you go and run in the Olympics and suddenly you don’t even make the final. The opposition’s different. It’s all about competition.

“It’s the same thing Steven Gerrard got. He did a great great job at Rangers, went to Villa, it was tough. Then they bought, they recruited a few better players under the new manager, Emery, and they’ve done very well. It’s about you need good players. That’s the most important thing.

“The best teams at the top. They’ve got the best players in the Premier League. City, Arsenal, Liverpool, probably Tottenham. Man United now are not so great because they’ve not got the players, Chelsea are the same they need massive, and better, recruitment.”

The reality for Lampard at this point is that he may have to drop down the football pyramid if his next role is to be in England. He’ll be well aware that the ruthless nature of today’s game means he must succeed in his next post, or it could spell the end for his managerial dreams.