Everton have a new manager
Frank Lampard is the new manager of Everton following the dismissal of Rafa Benitez with the former West Ham and Chelsea midfielder tasked with returning the toffees to the top half of the EPL table. Everton have announced the signing of the former Derby County and Chelsea boss 371 days after he was dismissed from the London club. Lampard got the job ahead of Vitor Pereira, Wayne Rooney, and Roberto Martinez. He will take over the reins at Goodison Park on a contract that runs till 2024.
Lampard said to the club’s website; “It is a huge honour for me to represent and manage a club the size and tradition of Everton. I’m very hungry to get started. After speaking to the owner, chairman, and the board, I very much felt their passion and ambition. I hope they felt my ambition and how hard I want to work to bring it together. You can feel the passion Everton fans have for their club. That will be hugely important. As a team – the competitive level that the Premier League brings and the position we are in the table – we certainly need that. It’s a two-way thing. I think Everton is a unique club in that you can really understand what the fans want to see.
The first thing they want is to fight and desire, and that must always be our baseline. My first message to the players will be that we have to do this together. We’ll try to do our job, and I know the fans will be there backing us.”
Everton owner, Farhad Moshiri, said: “I am really delighted that Frank has joined us. He is an impressive young man and off the pitch. Frank has played at the very highest level of the game and has football in his blood. He impressed us all greatly during the thorough interview process, and we are all ready to give him all of our support as he looks to give the team an immediate boost.”
Everton chairman, Bill Kenwright, said: “Frank impressed us greatly throughout our process, coming across as a modern, ambitious and exciting young manager. He expressed a clear vision on how he wants to take the club forward, and importantly, a tremendous passion and genuine enthusiasm to join us.
“I’m sure Evertonians will give him the special welcome that only they can and will be looking forward to giving him and his coaching staff a warm Goodison welcome next weekend.”
Backroom staff/history
The 43-year-old will bring former teammate Ashley Cole to join his backroom staff in Merseyside. Joe Edwards has been announced as his assistant with Paul Clement will come in as the first-team coach, and Chris Jones remains his head of performance. He also wants to keep Duncan Ferguson as part of his backroom staff.
Lampard was successful in his first stint as manager when he took Derby County to the playoffs. He then took charge of Chelsea and led them to a fourth-place finish and an FA Cup final. The following season started well, but he was sacked after two wins in his last eight games. He has since been on a sabbatical, learning more and rejecting job offers until now.
The job ahead
Lampard has arrived at the managerial graveyard that is Everton looking to turn a miserable season into something worthwhile. Everton hired their former archnemesis, Rafa Benitez, at the beginning of the campaign, and you just knew things were going to go south. It started well, but the Spaniard had to leave after bad results and clashes with players. The Toffees are 16th in the EPL and are on a five-game winless run in the league. Lampard will start his mission to turn things around when they take on Brentford this Saturday in the FA Cup.
