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Having spent a successful but highly controversial one year spell as Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri is reportedly set to take over the managerial reins at Juventus.
The 60-year-old had arrived Chelsea amidst much fanfare, but supporters soon turned against him a few months into the campaign, criticizing his predictable style of play and redeployment of N'Golo Kante.
However, he led the team to a Europa League triumph as well as a top-four finish and that boosted his reputation as one of the top tactical managers in the world.
Given the status of Chelsea as one of the top clubs in the world, it is no surprise that a host of coaches have been linked with the impending vacant managerial position.
One name has however stood above the others as the next man to occupy the dugout, with Chelsea legend and former midfielder Frank Lampard being heavily tipped for a return to Stamford Bridge in the capacity of a manager.
The 40-year-old has won plaudits for his work in taking Championship side Derby County to the playoff finals and although they eventually lost to Aston Villa, he showed his tactical versatility in successfully navigating The Rams around the intensely competitive second tier of English league football.
While Lampard might look a good fit for the club given his previous ties with the London side, it might not be in Chelsea's best interests to sign him. In this piece, we shall be highlighting three reasons why Chelsea should not hire Frank Lampard as Maurizio Sarri's replacement.
#3 He is still too inexperienced for a job the size of Chelsea
After a highly successful professional playing career which lasted 21 years, Frank Lampard called time on his illustrious career in 2017 at the age of 38.
He had been working on his coaching license in the latter stages of his career and in May 2018 was appointed as manager of Championship side Derby County.
In his first full season at Pride Park Stadium, he guided his side to the Championship playoffs having finished in 6th position and showed great ability in overcoming a first leg deficit against the more fancied Leeds United, to progress to the final where they eventually bowed to Aston Villa.
For this, he has been seen by many to be the ideal replacement for Sarri. While it might be tempting to say so, it could be tantamount to suicide if Chelsea decides to appoint the former England international.
With just one full year of managerial experience (and at a lower league), Lampard is still very much a greenhorn in the coaching game. A step up to a club the size of Chelsea might just be too soon.
The more logical path to tow would be allowing him more time to hone his tactics and management to near perfection before handing him the reins sometime in the future.
Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world and handling the pressure that comes with the territory is no mean feat. Even though supporters might point to Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola as examples of newbie coaches who succeeded at mega clubs with little or no prior managerial experience, the bottomline is that these two examples are the exception rather than the norm.
There are numerous other cases of unproven managers failing spectacularly at big clubs and Chelsea should avoid towing this line, as they did in the past with Andre Villas-Boas to disastrous consequences.
#2 The club's impending transfer ban could hamper his work seriously
Chelsea are facing perilous times right now, as the club was handed a two-transfer window ban by FIFA for breaches concerning the registration of overseas players under the age of 18.
Although the club has the option of filing an appeal to the ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), reports have emerged that CAS is yet to receive an appeal by the club, meaning that it is highly likely that the ban would go ahead as indicated.
The current Chelsea squad is not exactly the strongest it has been in years and the departure of Eden Hazard has made their attacking threat much less potent.
Frank Lampard would have sought the transfer market to help augment the team in his mind, but a failure to do makes a difficult job even much harder for an inexperienced manager like himself.
#1 There are better and more experienced alternatives on the market
As stated earlier, despite its history of acrimonious departures and rapid hiring and firing, the Chelsea managerial job remains one of the most prestigious in the world and is a position which almost all managers would be honored to occupy.
At the moment, Chelsea are spoiled for choice for Sarri's replacement, as there are a number of top-class and proven winners who are currently on the shopping list for new managerial jobs
Recently dismissed Juventus manager has been surrounded with rumours about an offer to head in the other direction as his potential replacement Maurizio Sarri. Meanwhile, former PSG manager Laurent Blanc has also been out of employment since being sacked by the Parisians in 2017.
Elsewhere, Arsene Wenger departed Arsenal in 2018, but never ruled himself out of a return to coaching. In addition, Jose Mourinho could return for a third spell at Stamford Bridge (although the acrimonious nature of his departure could prove a stumbling block).
Looking inwards at the Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino has said he would seriously consider his future at White Hart Lane if the club does not back him financially, while Watford's Javi Gracia is also highly rated after his impressive work at Vicarage Road.
Given the number of highly experienced and proven coaches available to Chelsea as options, it makes no sense for them to hire Frank Lampard at the expense of these proven winners.
