Chelsea started the season as among the top favorites to win the Premier League title. That's because Blues manager Frank Lampard spent £200 million last summer to bring Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and Hakim Ziyech to Stamford Bridge. Still, the club is struggling and Lampard could be sacked soon.
The latest 2-0 defeat against Leicester City counted as the fifth for Lampard in the last eight Premier League games. The loss pushed the side further down the table and the hopes are not too high that Chelsea can even make the Top 4 cut when the campaign ends.
The pressure is on for the Blues boss to win the points in the upcoming matches and give his side the required boost. If disappointments will again greet the side, the likelihood is high that Lampard will get the boot despite his stature as a Chelsea legend.
Lampard is the best goalscorer to ever grace Stamford but such distinction is unlikely to stop Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to make the fateful call. As Sky Sports noted in a report, the Russian is not exactly a patient man. Since taking ownership of the English club, Abramovich had shown the door to 12 managers before Lampard.
It is believed Abramovich will make the fateful decision on Lampard if no turnaround will be seen in the next few games.
Per the same report: "Chelsea will make a change if they believe there is another manager who can get more out of the current group of players."
Already, speculations are swirling that a search for Lampard's replacement is underway. Candidates have been shortlisted and among those mentioned are Brendan Rodgers, who is currently in charge of Leicester, and Massimiliano Allegri, who last held a managerial job at Juventus.
However, neither of the two are top contenders. The names favored to take over from Lampard are Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann. Tuchel was recently sacked by Paris Saint-Germain so he is available in case of a vacancy at Stamford.
Nagelsmann, on the other hand, is still tied up with RB Leipzig but getting him to England makes for a strong case with Chelsea. Under the Bundesliga coach, Werner flourished with Leipzig last season and it is hoped that his arrival will motivate the German striker to finally find his best form.
In all this, Football London reported that Abramovich has made up his mind regarding Lampard. The club legend will be afforded time to pick up wins in the upcoming fixtures but the option to let him go is now on the table.
If Lampard is fired, Abramovich will appoint a permanent replacement, and the choice has been whittled down between Tuchel and Nagelsmann, added the report.
