Frank Lampard news: All the jobs the Everton-linked ex-Chelsea boss has missed out on

Michael Graham
20 January 2022

Frank Lampard is making a habit of being linked with every manager job going yet failing to land any of them. Did somebody say Alan Curbishley?

There aren't many guarantees in soccer, but one of them is Frank Lampard being linked with a vacant managerial role.

The former England midfielder did well at Derby in his first season in management before being given his dream job at Chelsea. That came to an end a year ago, though, and he has failed to get back into the dugout since.

So, considering his strong links with Everton, we take a look at the jobs he has missed out on in what is starting to become a bit of an Odyssey of ostracism for one of the Premier League's greatest ever players.

England U21s

Given Lampard's championing of youth at Chelsea, it was unsurprising to see him linked with the England U21s job just couple months after his Stamford Bridge sacking.

The job with the Young Lions came up after another dreadful showing at the European Championships under Aidy Boothroyd, and he certainly seemed well-suited to it.

In the end, the job went to former Everton midfielder Lee Carsley.

Celtic

Lampard was linked with the vacant Celtic job in April 2021and revealed that he had not been short on offers.

"I've had some opportunities that have come up in the last six weeks, two months, that have been flattering but not the right thing," he claimed.

Serious interest in the Celtic job never materialised, though, although it is unclear whether it was Celtic or Lampard who closed the door on it.

At the time, Lampard's wife Christine had just given birth to their second child and it was reported he wanted to remain close to his London base.

West Brom

Lampard was linked with a return to the Championship in the summer of 2021. West Brom had just been relegated, with boss Sam Allardyce deciding to walk away from the job of getting them back into the Premier League.

Lampard was reportedly 'high' on the Baggies' board list to replace him after impressing in the Championship before at Derby.

The appointment never happened, though, with Valerien Ismael getting the job instead.

Crystal Palace

Lampard spent the vast majority of his playing career in London, so when Crystal Palace apparently expressed interest in hiring him to replace Roy Hodgson it looked a good fit.

Hodgson left solid foundations with plenty room for someone to put their own stamp on the team. It was no surprise then, that the job was coveted.

That opportunity did go to a Premier League legend, but it was Patrick Vieira, not Lampard.

Newcastle

When Steve Bruce was sacked as Newcastle manager, it was a job that just about everyone was linked with.

The Magpies had just got rich quick courtesy of a Saudi takeover and the club's obvious potential finally looked ready to be tapped.

It is easy to see why that would appeal to Lampard, and why a big name like Lampard would appeal to Newcastle's new owners.

It never happened, though. Perhaps Lampard himself thought it was too big a risk, perhaps the club thought he was. Either way, the Magpies turned to Eddie Howe after getting a very public rejection from former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

Norwich

For a while, it looked like Lampard had secured a managerial return when it was widely reported he had agreed to join Norwich in November.

At the time it felt a little strange, not because Lampard was too good for them, but because Norwich seemed, and still seem, a bit of a hopeless case.

While it's a fine football club, the reality is that succeeding with them long-term would mean taking relegation on the chin short-term.

Anyone who watched Lampard's playing career knows he's nothing if not a highly shrewd operator and he probably didn't want a relegation on his record so soon after failing at Chelsea.

Dean Smith was eventually hired for the job.

Aston Villa

Smith was available due to his sacking from Aston Villa just days earlier, and that appeared to be a job that Lampard fancied.

Indeed, he interviewed for the role, but it became apparent pretty early in the process that the Villa board wanted Lampard's former England midfield partner Steven Gerrard instead.

It all hinged on whether Rangers would allow Gerrard to leave Ibrox, and once they reluctantly agreed to it the job was never going to be Lampard's.

Rangers

Lampard actually looked a strong candidate to replace Gerrard at Rangers. After all, the Scottish champions had proven they were willing to take a chance on a former Premier League star with little managerial experience.

It was a club for which Lampard had previously expressed affection, saying: "I've always had a great fondness for Rangers."

He was even in among the Rangers crowd in Manchester when the Glasgow giants lost to Zenit St Petersburg.

An offer never materialised, though, with the reins instead going to Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Ipswich

Lampard was linked with Ipswich last month as the League One club searched for a successor to Paul Lambert.

It never really looked likely that Lampard would drop into the third tier, though. Not yet at least.

He had also turned Ipswich down before, in 2018, as revealed by his uncle Harry Redknapp.

"I got him the job at Ipswich," Redknapp told Sky Sports News. "I phoned Marcus Evans and said 'listen, you need a manager' and Frank Lampard's your man. Marcus loved him and offered him the job.

"But Frank said 'Harry, it's difficult because they've got no budget and I can't bring any players in, what can I do?'"

Former Manchester United youth coach Kieran McKenna was the man the Tractor Boys nabbed in the end, leaving Lampard on the sidelines once again.