Next Chelsea manager: Coventry City boss Frank Lampard responds to speculation linking him with return to Stamford Bridge

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard has claimed that the Chelsea managerial search is 'their business' in an effort to distance himself from the vacant role at Stamford Bridge.

On Wednesday evening, Liam Rosenior was removed from the role after just 23 matches, a consequence of Chelsea suffering five consecutive Premier League defeats in which they have also failed to score.

Calum McFarlane has been placed in interim charge for the remainder of the season, the first game of his second temporary stint being Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.

However, with BlueCo said to be ready to take their time to find a permanent successor to Rosenior, speculation will persist regarding a wide array of candidates.

Although Lampard endured a dismal second stint, albeit short, in 2023, he has since rebuilt his career by guiding Coventry to the Championship title.

Lampard responds to Chelsea manager talk

At a press conference ahead of Sunday's fixture against Wrexham, Lampard was inevitably questioned on the situation at Chelsea and whether he was keeping an eye on developments.

As was to be expected, Lampard did not want to be drawn into ongoing matters in West London, hinting that his focus was firmly on life at Coventry.

He said: "Well I definitely don’t want to talk about Liam and Chelsea because I’ve been there and I never want to talk too much about managers because of context behind the scenes, etc.

"I think it’s disrespectful to have a judgement on it. That’s for pundits to have a judgement. I’m Coventry manager, I’m enjoying my moment of us being promoted and winning the title, and that’s it."

Lampard added: "It’s a difficult patch, for sure, and we as managers know that in those difficult patches the consequences that can be. And I think we all have to be big enough to understand that.

“But as a football club, they’re in a difficult patch. They have a chance probably to be able to get something out of the season with the FA Cup and the league position, if they can make that better, but it’s Chelsea’s business.

“Chelsea’s a big part of my life but at the moment it’s their business and my business is here.”

Why there is little chance of Lampard Chelsea return

Coventry chairman Doug King has already suggested that he has no concerns about Lampard being tempted to accept any return to Chelsea.

With a top-four finish with the Blues on his record and Lampard being linked with other Premier League jobs, he could attract interest.

Nevertheless, at this stage of his career, there is far less risk trying to keep Coventry in the Premier League than trying to ensure that Chelsea do not suffer the same kind of Premier League drop-off as a team like Tottenham Hotspur.