Frank Lampard will be ‘back at Chelsea many times’ as a fan after interim role

independent.co.uk:

Frank Lampard promised he would be back at Chelsea as a supporter after his tenure as interim manager ends on Sunday.His side host Newcastle looking to give Lampard the first home win of his second spell in charge, and help the club’s record goalscorer sign off on a relative high after losing eight of his 10 games.The former midfielder, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League during his 13 years as a player in west London, did not return to Stamford Bridge after he was sacked as manager in January 2021 until April of this year to witness the team’s goalless draw against Liverpool.That came two days after ex-boss Graham Potter was sacked 31 games into a five-year contract, and within days Lampard had been installed as temporary boss while the club searched for a permanent successor.The 44-year-old insisted that it was only circumstances that had kept him away – the period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and his 12 months spent managing Everton – and that his visit for the Liverpool game, which he watched from the box of co-owner Todd Boehly, had been planned for weeks.It was later reported that Lampard had been touted as a possible interim candidate by club officials several weeks earlier when Potter was seriously on the ropes after a run of poor results.The game against Newcastle will round off a campaign that cannot come soon enough for fans after enduring comfortably the team’s worst season in 30 years.Nevertheless, Lampard was hopeful of giving them something positive to take into the summer as he prepared to make his third exit from the club.“I don’t want this to sound corny but I don’t feel like it is a goodbye,” said Lampard.“I appreciate it, it will be end of season and end of my time