Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has been warned he could be replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino if he doesn’t deliver silverware this season.
According to former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent, who believes Chelsea’s big summer spending will put increased scrutiny on whether Lampard is suited to winning trophies at Chelsea.
“The next step is trophies,” Bent said to Goal ahead of the return of the EFL on Quest highlights show. “He has got to deliver trophies as he has bought top players from around Europe.
“Chelsea had a free crack at them and after having a free hit year with a transfer embargo, it has ramped up the pressure twofold. Werner, [Hakim] Ziyech, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Havertz are all top players. They are luxuries for any manager in the positions they play.
“For me, he has got to deliver. My fear is that if they don’t get off to the best of starts, other great managers like Pochettino will be waiting to go in. I am pretty sure that most managers around the world would now quit where they were to manage this squad of players.”
Bent also revealed he isn’t convinced with Lampard’s first year in management at Derby County. According to Bent, Lampard had the squad to secure promotion to the Premier League for Derby.
“I think he did well at Derby but, ultimately, I think he should have been promoted with Harry Wilson, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori in the squad on loan,” he said. “I honestly think they should have gone up and they didn’t.
“I am not overly convinced he did an amazing job. He did well but he didn’t deliver above and beyond. As far as giving him a platform to manage at Chelsea, he did well this year when no one gave them an opportunity to do it. You have to commend that. “I am sure [current Derby boss] Phillip Cocu wants to go up but his squad isn’t as strong as Lampard’s [was].”