Derby County may face off against former manager Frank Lampard next season as the Chelsea legend is set to hold talks with recently relegated side Burnley, according to the latest reports.
Lampard joined the Rams six years ago when Mel Morris held ownership of the club and managed to guide the side to the play-offs in his only campaign in charge. Following a 1-0 defeat at Pride Park to Leeds United in the semi-final first leg, Lampard’s men came out on top 4-2 at Elland Road in a memorable fixture in West Yorkshire to go through to the final.
Unfortunately, Derby County suffered a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium which forced them to remain in the Championship for another season, missing out on an estimated £170 million in the process. This was a sliding doors moment in the club’s history which could have saved them from the financial trouble they found themselves in just two years later under Morris’ proprietorship. Furthermore, Lampard jumped ship shortly after once the Chelsea job became available.
Now, journalist Alan Nixon is reporting that the 45-year-old is lining up a return to England’s second tier following relatively underwhelming spells at Stamford Bridge and at Goodison Park with Everton. On his exclusive Patreon, Nixon is claiming that Burnley are set for talks with Lampard to replace Vincent Kompany after the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
This past week, Kompany announced his departure from Turf Moor as he was named as Thomas Tuchel’s successor at German giants Bayern Munich. It was reported on Thursday morning that the new boss in Bavaria is hoping to bring Middlesbrough first-team coach Aaron Danks with him whom he worked with in Belgium at Anderlecht.
Writer’s View
Lampard has openly talked about his feelings after the defeat to Villa in 2019 in the play-off final, admitting that he felt he let Morris and Derby County down who were quickly plunged into financial disrepair as a result of throwing money at the ultimate dream of being promoted.
Nevertheless, many supporters will have fond memories of that season, although there may still be some supporters who feel aggrieved at his exit after less than 12 months at the helm so it will be interesting to see what reception Lampard will get at Pride Park should he be named as the new Burnley boss.
