With Frank Lampard being excused from Derby County training to try and finalise a deal with Chelsea, it is looking increasingly likely that his appointment will be confirmed the coming weeks. But just why have Chelsea deemed Lampard to be the man to guide them through the upcoming season, and how will his appointment be received?

Following Frank Lampard’s appointment at Derby County, there was a general sense of optimism from the fans, as well as a journey into the unknown. Whilst, Derby have tended to finish at the higher end of the Championship table over the past decade, they had just come off the back of yet another failed play-off campaign in 2017/18 and had just lost highly-regarded manager Gary Rowett to recently relegated Stoke City.

However, come May and Derby fans were jubilantly singing the praises’ of their young manager, following a stunning second-leg comeback at play-off favourites Leeds United, setting up a play-off final meeting with Aston Villa at Wembley. Whilst, they may have went on to lose that play-off final, there was no doubt that there was a great deal more optimism around Derby, than there had been following previous play-off defeats, and most of this was largely down to Lampard.

Lampard had displayed a knack for working with young players with high potentials, such as Chelsea loanee Mason Mount, and combining them with experienced pro’s such as club captain Richard Keogh. As well as this, Derby won points by playing an attractive style of football, in a league which is known for its physicality and, perhaps wrongly, emphasis on results rather than performance. Wins at Premier League clubs, Manchester United and Southampton, in the League Cup and FA Cup respectively, have done no harm to Lampard’s reputation during his first season in management.

Despite an extremely successful first season at management it seems like a huge gamble for Chelsea to be taking a risk on a manager who has barely managed over 50 professional football matches. So why are they doing it?

It may seem obvious but Lampard’s playing career at Chelsea is arguably the main factor in his impending appointment. Following the fractious relationship between Maurizio Sarri and the Chelsea fans, the appointment of Frank Lampard is going to be a major PR success and is an appointment the Chelsea faithful are likely to get behind. Should Lampard hit a rocky spell, he is likely to be backed by players and fans, whereas this wasn’t always the case with his predecessor Sarri.

As well as this, Chelsea have been hit with a transfer ban up until January 2020. Lampard is arguably the perfect appointment as he will already have some form of relationship with the players that he has no choice but to work with. As well as this at Derby, he has proven that he is willing to work with young players, which may become necessary should Chelsea be fighting on domestic and a European front in the coming season.

The impact of the transfer ban should not be underestimated at all. With Lampard, Chelsea know they have got a man who is still learning on the job, and with that, they may have to accept that with a relatively inexperienced manager and a transfer ban, they may have to settle for a place in the top 6 for the upcoming a season, especially following the departure of talisman Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. With Lampard, they know they have a man who is eager to manage Chelsea and is happy to take charge in the current situation despite the transfer ban. This is likely to be the reason why ex-Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, Javi Gracia of Watford or Wolves’ Nuno Espírito Santo were not mentioned in the manager shortlist, due to their unwillingness to work under these restrictions.

However, it must not go unsaid that Lampard has no doubt been employed for this job on merit. There may be factors which have led to the Chelsea board favouring a more inexperienced manager and a previous fan favourite, however Lampard has proved in his one season at Derby, that he is an astute manager and a highly intelligent individual, who is no doubt fit to manage a top club.