Frank Lampard has been sacked by Chelsea on Monday following a dismal slump in form that sees them sit ninth in the Premier League table.
The players were told not to come to the training ground until Monday afternoon as Lampard becomes the 10th manager sacked during the Roman Abramovich era.
Confirmation of his sacking came just before 11.30am on Monday after the club took decisive action following a torrid run of five losses in eight league games.
Sunday’s win over Luton Town to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup hasn’t proved enough to save the former midfielder from the chop.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel is in prime position to replace Lampard with talks at an advanced stage.
Frank Lampard has been sacked by Chelsea after just 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea beat Championship side Luton 3-1 in the FA Cup on Sunday but it didn’t save Lampard from the sack following a slump in league form
Club legend Lampard becomes the 10th manager sacked during the Roman Abramovich era
It will mean another pay-off for owner Abramovich with Lampard earning £4million a year. His contract ran until 2022.
The club statement confirming the sacking read: ‘This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the Board have taken lightly.
‘We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club.
‘However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.
‘There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season.’
Abramovich said: ‘This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him’.
‘He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.
‘On behalf of everyone at the Club, the Board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as Head Coach and wish him every success in the future.
‘He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.’
A dreadful run of league form has seen the Blues lose five of their last eight Premier League matches, leaving them well out of the title picture.
The slump in form led to mounting pressure on Stamford Bridge favourite Lampard.
It came after Lampard said the win over Luton on Sunday would ‘bring a nice air of positivity’ to the club.
Thomas Tuchel, who left PSG in December, is the bookmakers’ favourite to take over
RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann has admirers at Chelsea but isn’t currently available
He said: ‘People will look very close at the moment but I need to see a bigger picture. This was an important result because it brings a nice air of positivity to the club. We want to win more points in league. That’s where we are at.
‘It’s nice for us in the short term, the scrutiny on a club like this is normal. When you’re off it slightly the only focus should only be on changing the form. We just go again.’
Talks with Tuchel, who is a free agent following his sacking at PSG in late December, are underway with the German emerging as a prime contender to replace Lampard.
RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann has admirers in the Blues boardroom, but there are concerns over whether he would leave his current employers mid-season.
That would pave the way for Tuchel to be appointed now and he could be in charge for their home game against Wolves on Wednesday night.
Lampard pictured with his wife Christine out for lunch in Knightsbridge, London in October
Chelsea have been warned off Tuchel, 47, in the past after run-ins with previous employers Borussia Dortmund and PSG but that doesn’t seem to be a factor now.
Lampard was only 18 months into his time as Chelsea manager. He steered them to a fourth placed finish last season and also to the final of the FA Cup.
But despite massive investment of £222million in new players, they have been unable to mount a challenge at the top of the table.
The current seasons started promisingly enough, with Chelsea embarking on a 14-match unbeaten run through the autumn and making serene progress through their Champions League group.
A banner saying ‘In Frank we trust’ was hung at Stamford Bridge for Sunday’s match
Chelsea have slumped to ninth in the Premier League table after five defeats in eight games
But a 1-0 defeat at Everton on December 12 marked the start of a dismal league run that included losses to Wolves, Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester to all but end their title chances.
Lampard’s iconic status from his playing days means his sacking will split opinion among the Chelsea fanbase. There was a banner in support of the former midfielder hung from the upper tier of the Shed on Sunday.
When asked about the banner after Sunday’s game, an emotional Lampard said: ‘I’m very thankful for the support and it’s great to see it at the Bridge.
‘I feel it very strongly and I know the modern world has moved on, social media and eyes comes from all parts of the world.
‘One think that I do know is that when I’m at the Bridge, I’m at a club that I love and that has always shown me huge support as a player and now as a manager.
‘So I appreciate it very much. All I want to do is repay that by being successful at the club.’
Chelsea have back-to-back home matches this week against Wolves and then Burnley to try and improve their form.
They will travel to Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round and have been paired with Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League.
Lampard is the 10th manager to be sacked since Abramovich’s takeover in 2003, joining Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho (twice), Avram Grant, Luis Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Antonio Conte.
News of Lampard’s sacking was met with disgust by Chelsea fans and football pundits.
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker wrote on Twitter: ‘Utterly ludicrous after his first bad run. It was always going to need time given so many new signings feeling their way into a new club. Patience being a virtue is seldom recognised in this sport. They never learn.’
Gary Lineker said it is ‘utterly ludicrous’ that Chelsea have not given Lampard more time
Chelsea supporters were quick to slam the board for ruthlessly dismissing fan favourite Lampard, who had only been in the job for one-and-a-half seasons.
One angry fan wrote: ‘Hearing Lampard is getting sacked is actually a disgrace, why now that he is trying to get the team to play together?
‘Shame on the Chelsea board!’
Another added: ‘I am really disgusted by the Chelsea board, none of which have done more for the club than Lampard.
‘You don’t give him a chance to say goodbye properly as a player, you don’t give him a testimonial, shame on you.
‘I am embarrassed to be a Chelsea fan today.’
Chelsea fans took to Twitter to fume at Chelsea’s decision to dismiss Lampard as boss
