Former Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko is on Roman Abramovich’s shortlist of managers who could replace Frank Lampard if he decides to sack him, according to reports.
The London club have lost four of their last six league games and slipped to 8th place in the table, with a humbling defeat to Manchester City on Sunday representing a low point of their current slump.
Chelsea are reported to be planning for the possibility of sacking Lampard and his future at Stamford Bridge is under huge threat unless he turns things around.
French outlet Le10 Sport claim that one of the names on Chelsea’s shortlist to replace Lampard is former Chelsea teammate Shevchenko.
Shevchenko spent one-and-a-half rather underwhelming seasons at Chelsea as a player, arriving in 2006, but he was sent out on loan back to AC Milan midway through the 2007/08 campaign before returning to Dynamo Kyiv on a permanent deal.
Since retiring as a footballer, he has enjoyed a promising coaching career and has been in charge of the Ukraine national team since 2016, recently guiding them to Euro 2020 qualification that saw them finish above Portugal.
He has remained on good terms with Abramovich since leaving the blues – and was often spotted in the owner’s box at the club – while his teenage son, Kristian, plays for Chelsea academy.
- ‘I don’t understand what’s wrong with Chelsea!’ – says Thiago Silva after another defeat
- Frank Lampard reveals the three reasons his team lost 3-1 to Man City
- Chelsea ‘considering firing Lampard’ amid slump & already looking at replacements
The report claims Abramovich has been keeping a very close eye on Shevchenko’s progress as a manager and is a huge fan, with the Ukrainian coach one of options being explored in preparation if Lampard is sacked.
Speaking about the speculation about his future after the defeat to Man City, Lampard said: ‘I’ll always feel heat. I felt heat when we were on our good run because I know round the corner can be the negative.’
He continued: ‘I’m not going to speak for people above me or the board because I can never do that. Like how I couldn’t answer one month ago if I was going to get a new contract, it’s not my [area], I don’t start that conversation.
‘As much as I can’t answer now what they’re thinking about, the difficult run of results. It is what it is on those terms. I can only speak about it as I look at it as the manager of the club.’
