Frank Lampard not distracted by Chelsea managerial situation, reaffirms Derby commitment

Amidst all the drama generated by Chelsea, one person stands tall, neither fazed nor distracted by it all. It's a little easier for him of course, as he's not actually at the club, per se, and has plenty of other things to focus on.

Frank Lampard has been consistently linked with the Chelsea job ever since the the wheels starting coming off the Sarri-ball bus, however the rookie manager — he is barely half a season into his first job, after all — is not letting any of that speculation affect him and is completely focused on the task of trying to guide Derby County to promotion.

“No, not at all. My focus was absolutely on Millwall and will remain the same for Nottingham Forest. Nothing surprises me in football. There will be links all over the place. It doesn’t surprise me.

”I just have to focus on the job in hand here. I’m certainly not thinking about it, talking about it. It is what it is. I’m Derby manager, and we’re working hard every game here. I certainly am.”

-Frank Lampard; source: Derby Telegraph

It’s easy to see why Lampard would be linked with the job considering he is a Chelsea legend and the club’s all time top scorer. He was linked even before he officially became a manager, let alone after taking the job at Derby County (and then appointing Chelsea youth coach Jody Morris as his assistant). And it’s certainly nice to see Lampard get off to a pretty good start in his new career, unlike a few other big-name ex-players, such as Gary Neville or Thierry Henry — Derby are just a few points out of the sixth and final playoff spot at the moment.

Unsurprisingly, given his consistently near-perfect decision-making throughout his playing career, Lampard isn’t getting ahead of himself. While I believe he will be a great success if and when he does take the Chelsea job, it’s a much more reasonable plan to first go and make a name for himself elsewhere. Once that foundation is built, he can take on the massive task of the Chelsea job. There’s no need to rush.

In the meantime, there’s still a chance that Sarri saves his job. Also, can we please appoint a director of football already?