Lampard reaches out to Chelsea at 'tough time' for former club

Ex-Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard has offered his support at what he called a 'tough time' for his former employers.

The Blues have been hit with a wide range of restrictions as a result of the United Kingdom governmet's decision to freeze the assets of outgoing owner Roman Abramovich.

And, while he may now be managing at Premier League rivals Everton, Lampard admitted the news hit him hard.

“I managed there for nearly two years, played there for 13 years and I have friends who work behind the scenes,” the Toffees boss explained to reporters on Friday.

“There will obviously be something on a human level if people are losing their jobs at Chelsea that I would care about.

“I care about the fans; the fans of Chelsea that were there before us and will be there after us. It is a tough moment for the club.

“I don’t want to hang on it too much because I am manager of Everton and that’s my priority, but of course on a human level for people who are just doing their jobs and that is in danger you care a lot about that.”

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased scrutiny on Abramovich, who announced that he was pulling out of Chelsea surely after the conflict began and prior to this week's hefty sanctions.

Lampard, though, affirmed that he did not enjoy a personal connection to the businessman.

“One of the questions earlier said I was close to Roman Abramovich. I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve seen him in the last many years," he added.

“I worked for Chelsea Football Club for 13 years and it was an absolute pleasure, and that’s exactly where I want to leave that one.

"I care about the fans; the fans of Chelsea that were there before us and will be there after us. It is a tough moment