Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle to reappoint Frank Lampard as their new interim head coach until the end of the season.
Ashley Cole, Joe Edwards, and Chris Jones are set to join Lampard’s backroom staff at the west London club.
Lampard, who attended Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday night, is set to return to his former club two years after leaving.
The 44-year-old has been out of work since Everton fired him in January. He was previously the manager of Chelsea from July 2019 to January 2021, before being fired and replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Lampard worked with Cole, the former Chelsea and England defender, Edwards, and Jones during his first spells at Chelsea and Everton.
The search for a permanent replacement for Graham Potter, who left Chelsea on Monday, will continue in the coming weeks.
The club’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are leading the search for a new head coach, with a decision ultimately made by co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
According to Athletic, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi is not in the running to be Chelsea’s next manager.
Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann, both fired by Bayern Munich, have been linked to the Chelsea job.
Bruno Saltor, a former member of Potter’s coaching staff at Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea, took charge of the west London club for the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Chelsea will play Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
They are 11th in the Premier League and will play Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.
