Published 22:39 IST, February 2nd 2021
Gary Neville speaks on Frank Lampard's Chelsea ouster, says he should be 'least surprised'
Gary Neville has said that former English midfielder Frank Lampard should be least surprised after he was sacked by Premier League club Chelsea last week
English football coach Gary Neville believes that former English great Frank Lampard might have got a taste of his own medicine after being sacked by Chelsea last week.
Last Monday, the 'Blues' had officially confirmed the sacking of Frank Lampard as the manager. In fact, Chelsea FC took to the micro-blogging site to make it public that they have parted ways with the former English midfielder. Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as his successor.
Lampard was sacked by the London-based club just 18 months into his managerial tenure at Stamford Bridge following a disappointing run of results.
'It wasn’t really a shock': Gary Neville
Recently, Neville had gone on to say that Frank Lampard can be the least surprised after his contract was terminated by Chelsea. Giving a clarification on the same, the former Manchester United right-back has claimed that Lampard had played a huge role in getting rid of one of Chelsea's managers a few years back during his playing days.
"I think because of the rumors that came out of Stamford Bridge and the media before, it wasn’t really a shock. I thought initially he would get more time, just to let them settle in but you can’t be surprised by Chelsea", said Gary Neville while speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast on Sky Sports.
“I go back to in Napoli eight or nine years ago, when [Andre] Villas-Boas had picked a team in the afternoon of a Champions League game. And he left out Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, and another big player at that time. And I remember Chelsea players at that time ringing up members of the media and trying to get him out. And Frank was part of that group", he added.
"And it has been really a brutal football club for managers for many many years, and Frank has suffered that brutality last week, so he should be the least of all surprised because he has been at the club when Villas-Boas was sacked, [Luis] Scolari, and all the rest of them have come and gone", the footballer-turned- football pundit further added.
Frank Lampard's term as the manager of the Blues
Lampard was appointed as Chelsea manager in the summer of 2019 and handed a three-year deal when the club faced a transfer ban. He did manage to get the club Champions League qualification in his first season at the club, as well as reach the finals of the FA Cup. However, after spending over £200million in the summer, Lampard struggled to get the best out of his new recruits.
Updated 22:39 IST, February 2nd 2021