Lampard plays down becoming Chelsea manager and labels reports "speculation" after play-off final defeat
Tuesday 28 May 2019 11:18, UK
Frank Lampard insists he is not interested in the "speculation" linking him to the Chelsea job , but says he will discuss his Derby future after losing to Aston Villa in the play-off final.
Derby failed to secure promotion to the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat against Villa in the final at Wembley.
Lampard has been linked to the Chelsea job but Derby owner Morris has said the club has not been approached for his services.
Lampard said after the game he will be holding discussions over his future with Morris "in the next few days".
"I'm not interested in the speculation," he told Sky Sports.
"What is likely is I'll speak to Mel Morris, the owner, in the next few days when the dust settles and then we'll see how it goes.
"I've got a two-year contract and I love working at this place. The fans giving the players an ovation.... we'll see."
"Whether the loan players go back, they've been influential for us this year. We've got players out of contract so its work for us to put right.
"It's important we start the work really quickly [for next season] because the squad is very thin now for next year. It's a shame because they're great characters in there, but this is football."
Derby fought back in the final with Martyn Waghorn coming off the bench to half the deficit in the 81st minute.
And although Derby were unable to come back from two goals down, Lampard says he is proud of his players' performance in the final and throughout the Championship season.
"They're gutted because they wanted it so much as you should," he said. "But when a group get on as well as they did and when a group have dragged themselves through with youth and players in the last year of their contracts you've got a real mixture. They've managed to get this far and I'm just proud."
Lampard added in his post-match press conference: "The fact of if we'd won or lost wouldn't have changed my mind.
"I've not had any conversations with any other club. This has been my club - it is my club. I'm the manager with a two year contract.
"The talks will be about how we can compete in the Championship next year. We can't compete with a squad of 13 - we need a squad of 20 plus. Financial fair play makes it tight for us."
Liam Rosenior: "For his first year he's been absolutely outstanding. I can tell by the type of person he is he will self-reflect and come back and improve. He will have an absolutely incredible career as a manager.
"We've seen Pochettino, Guardiola, Klopp all start when they were young. I don't think anyone would blame him for taking the Chelsea job. From an outsider looking in could he do that job? 100 per cent.
"He's got a clear idea about the way he wants to play and he can work with younger players which is what he'd have to do at Chelsea because they're struggling with the transfer window coming up."
Keith Andrews: "I think he's got an aura and humbleness about how he goes about his work. It's a bit of a mish-mash the type of players he has. He's kept them all going in a really good direction and he's come close.
"I think he should stay [at Derby]. I would stay if I was him. Financially I think they'll be in a better position next season as they'll have a lot of high earners off the wage bill.
"So he'll have an even bigger opportunity now to put his stamp on the recruitment and who he brings in the summer. Chelsea may be too big a call for him."
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