Frank Lampard admits 'surprise' over Chelsea recall to take reins as caretaker manager

The 44-year-old previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.

His surprise return to Stamford Bridge comes after Tuchel's successor, Graham Potter, was dismissed on Sunday with the club in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Lampard said at a press conference: "It's a pretty easy decision for me. This is my club. I have a lot of emotions and feelings.

"I've come with a belief I can come and help the cause until the end of the season.

“I'll give my utmost to give the fans what they want until the end of the season. There's a lot of talent in the squad. I'm excited to work with that talent and to help them.

"Really exciting. I was there on Tuesday (for the draw against Liverpool), it was the first time I'd been back since I left previously. It was an amazing buzz to be back at Stamford Bridge.

"It was a surprise in terms of you never know what decision the club will make. There's been a lot of change in the Premier League this season.

"It's a big challenge, but aren't they all? I have complete sympathy for all managers that lose jobs. I'm ready to put my work into this challenge and take it day by day."

Chelsea co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said in a statement: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge.

"Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club. As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

"We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.

"We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."

Former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard had been out of a job since January when he left relegation-threatened Everton after less than a year in charge.

Chelsea have nine Premier League games remaining this term, starting with Saturday’s trip to Wolves, which is followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with European champions Real Madrid.

The west London club sit 11th in the table following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Liverpool, 14 points adrift of the top four, despite having spent more than £550m on new players this season.

With Lampard installed for the short-term, Chelsea will continue their pursuit of Potter's permanent replacement.

One potential front-runner for the full-time job, ex-Spain coach Luis Enrique, flew into London on Wednesday to meet with club officials.

In-demand German Julian Nagelsmann, sacked recently by Bayern Munich, is also in the mix.