Frank Lampard would love to see Jose Mourinho return to Chelsea.
The Portuguese coach enjoyed a hugely successful three years at Stamford Bridge from 2004 to 2007, during which time he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups before being controversially dismissed. He has since gone on to win two Serie A titles and a UEFA Champions League with Internazionale, and in his current job, he has led Real Madrid to one La Liga and also a Copa del Rey triumph.
Mourinho is widely expected to leave the Bernabeu this summer, despite signing a new contract just last year. He has publicly fallen out with senior players such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, and his inability to lead Los Blancos to success in Europe has also soured his time in Spain. Domestically, whilst he still has the chance of another cup success, Barcelona are currently just a point away from wrestling back the title.
The 50-year-old has often flirted with the idea of returning to England, never more so that in the wake of the Champions League semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund recently. After the match, he revealed how he wanted to be “where people love me,” before adding: “I know I am loved in England. I am loved by some clubs, especially one.”
Ever since then he has been hotly tipped to rejoin the Blues, with some pundits believing it to be a mere formality. And as far as Lampard is concerned, he would love to welcome back the coach who he still regards to be the number one in the world.
“I think it would be a great thing for the club,” he said. “He is a successful manager and he would be a great thing for any club. It’s hard to comment with the season still ongoing and with the manager not here or chosen yet. It would be easy to speculate.
“I have seen speculation before and a completely different manager walks through the door so you never know on that front. But he is certainly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, manager in world football. Of course he would be a great manager for any club to have but I don’t think it is right to talk about him while he is still Real Madrid manager.”
