Former Chelsea and Derby County manager Frank Lampard has been confirmed as the new Everton boss succeeding Rafael Benitez.
He has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the club and becomes owner Farhad Moshiri’s seventh manager since he joined the club back in 2016.
It has been confirmed that Frank Lampard’s backroom staff will be Joe Edwards as assistant manager, Paul Clement as first team coach and Chris Jones as first team coach and head of performance. Duncan Ferguson and Alan Kelly will remain at the club.
Lampard has not been in a job since he was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021 when Tomas Tuchel was brought in as his replacement.
It was a long dragged-out public affair to find the next manager to come into Everton with former Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira being the running candidate until protests against him started to make Moshiri and himself have doubts.
Then Pereira had an interview on Sky Sports attempting to promote himself to supporters which effectively ended his chances of getting the job.
Therefore the Everton hierarchy turned to Frank Lampard as they held meetings in London with him, Pereira and Duncan Ferguson.
Lampard was looked at in the summer before Moshiri made the call to hire former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
Having been at Chelsea for the majority of his playing days he is renowned as a club legend and one of the all-time Premier League greats having played 611 games scoring 177 goals and assisting 116
He won 11 major honours at the club with one of them being the most prestigious trophy in club football, the Champions League.
As a manager he has a reputation of trusting youth players and wanting to play quick attacking football which should please Evertonians.
He led Derby County to the play-off final in his first season as manager and was then approached by Chelsea to become their head coach.
At Chelsea Lampard secured Champions League football in his first campaign with a transfer ban and managed to get them to an FA Cup final.
On joining Everton Lampard said:
“It is a huge honour for me to represent and manage a club the size and tradition of Everton Football Club. 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 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.”
His first game will be in the FA Cup against Brentford and his first league game will be a vital relegation six pointer against Newcastle.
Speaking to the club website Everton Majority Shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, said:
“I am really delighted that Frank has joined us. He is an impressive young man and off the pitch.
“He 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’re all ready to give him all of our support as he looks to give the team an immediate boost.”
Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright also 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.”
Image credit Sky Sports News
