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11 of the best quotes on Frank Lampard the manager, ft Klopp, Mount, Wilson

Frank Lampard has enjoyed an eye-catching first season as manager at Derby County – and reports suggest the Chelsea legend is already being lined up to take over at Stamford Bridge.

In his maiden campaign as a manager, Lampard has led Derby to the play-off final and also masterminded an impressive win at Manchester United in the League Cup, leading to suggestions he could replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea this summer.

We’ve taken a look at what players, other bosses and pundits have had to say about Lampard’s management credentials.

Mason Mount

The Chelsea loanee is one of the biggest success stories from Lampard’s first season at Derby, scoring nine goals and four assists from midfield in the Championship.

“Being a Chelsea midfielder, I would always watch him and try to take things from his game,” Mount told FourFourTwo. “This season he’s taught me a lot about timing my movements into the penalty area and getting into the right positions, as well as pressing when we don’t have the ball.”

On Lampard’s assistant, Jody Morris, Mount added: “He’s been a massive influence on my career. He was my manager when I first played for Chelsea’s Under-18s. We won two FA Cup Youth Cups and he made me captain for the second. I owe him a lot and it’s great to work with him.”

Gary Rowett

Lampard replaced Rowett as Derby manager last summer and has already improved on the play-off semi-final defeat the Rams suffered under the former Birmingham and Stoke boss.

“What you’ve got to say is it’s his first managerial job, it’s not an easy job at Derby, as I can testify,” Rowett told BBC Radio 5Live.

“I know it’s only Wembley, so he’s on the verge – but what you would say is he’s done an incredible job. Even if they don’t win the final, he’s done an incredible job so far.

“They started to have that dip in late December and January, and that is when you are tested as a manager. When you are winning games, everything is rosy. As soon as you start losing games, you’ve got to get that team out of that dip.

“I think it also coincided with Mason Mount coming back from injury, he’s been a big player for them, and probably Harry Wilson’s form kicking on. But you’ve got to credit Frank Lampard for that.”

Chris Hughton

Prior to Graham Potter’s appointment as Brighton manager, Lampard was also mooted as a potential replacement for Hughton, who had plenty of kind words to say about the former England international ahead of Derby’s meeting with the Seagulls in the FA Cup fifth round.

“I can remember Frank as a young player, he went to school quite close to the old Spurs training ground and was the type of player that all of us, as coaches, admired.

“He improved every year of his career and that’s because of the hard work he was prepared to put in, he ended up being one of the best box-to-box midfielders that this country has ever produced.

“As a manager, you never know how it will go – you may feel someone has all the right credentials and that they’ve done everything right in terms of earning their qualifications, but you can never be sure.

“He’s played in many club sides and he would have picked up a lot, but until the opportunity arises you don’t know. He’s mixed youth and experience at Derby and has them playing in a certain way – they’ve had some real success so far.”

READ: Frank Lampard names the five best players he ever played with

Gianfranco Zola

Lampard played alongside Zola at Stamford Bridge, and the Italian spoke of his admiration for his former team-mate ahead of Derby’s clash with Chelsea in the League Cup.

“You can understand when somebody has a future in this position because to succeed as a coach you really need to have the ability to think over things. It seemed to me that Frank has always had this ability.

“It’s not a surprise for me he’s doing well and he’s going to do well.”

Harry Wilson

Like Mount, Wilson is another Premier League loanee to impress under Lampard, with the on-loan Liverpool midfielder scoring 16 goals and providing four assists in the Championship, even impressing after being switch from the wing to a more central role.

“I spoke with the gaffer and we all know what a fantastic number eight he was. He’s not a bad person to learn from!” Wilson told the Derby Telegraph.

The Welsh youngster also praised the influence that Lampard has had on his development in his breakthrough season in English football with the Rams.

“He gave me a few tips on how to play there and just told me to get on the ball as much as I can – and when we haven’t got the ball, try to get out and press.

“I tried to do that and if he needs me to play there again, I can do that.”

Jurgen Klopp

Due to Wilson’s development, Lampard earned plenty of praise from Liverpool boss Klopp.

“He found a brilliant club and obviously a fantastic manager at Derby,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website. “They play really good football. The Manchester United game really was impressive – not only the result, the way they played was really impressive.

“How he moves between the lines, how confident he looks with the ball is all cool. He looks really fit. So that’s all good. Thank you to Derby that they obviously do a brilliant job. Next year, he is back.”

Lee Johnson

Derby pipped Johnson’s Bristol City to sixth place in the Championship, but the Robins boss had already shown his respect earlier in the season – and even tipped him to take over at Stamford Bridge.

“Frank’s taken to the role really well as you’d expect,” Johnson told the Bristol Post. “He’s had a front row seat all his life behind a dad and an uncle who have been top coaches and top managers.

“He’s taken to it like a duck to water. He’s at a brilliant club, has made some good signings for a team that had a good base at Championship level, and has a supportive owner.

“You think he’s destined to be the Chelsea manager… I can’t see any fault in the job he’s done.”

Fikayo Tomori

Another young Chelsea player to impress on loan at Pride Park, Tomori has looked up to Lampard since coming through the youth ranks in west London.

“Coming from Chelsea, he is a legend. Not too long ago, I was in the academy there and he was scoring for Chelsea,” Tomori told Derby’s official website.

“I was watching his games whilst he was there and now he’s managing me.

“I know he knows what he is talking about. He has been at the highest level of the game, played for England and Chelsea, so for him to be my manager, I know he wants the best for me.”

READ: Champ Man 03/04, the ‘Diablo’ tactic & the day Frank Lampard made it real

Richard Keogh

Keogh has been praised for aiding Tomori’s development as a centre-back, but the Derby skipper insists Lampard also deserves credit.

“It’s also the environment he is working in,” Keogh told the Derby Telegraph. “I think the gaffer and his coaching staff are creating a very good environment.

“It’s been quite nice this season, because we’ve got a younger group and playing with Fik, I’m seeing him improve a lot.

“It’s nice that I can give a bit back now as one of the older players, which is something I enjoy.”

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Another former Chelsea team-mate, Hasselbaink spoke of Lampard’s leadership qualities in comparison to those of John Terry.

“They’re both totally different,” Hasselbaink told Sky Sports. “They both have leadership.

“Frank was a lot quieter, JT was more vocal, but you could see he (Lampard) was a leader. You would always think JT would become a manager more, but Frank was a leader in his own right.

“Not as vocal, but always doing the right thing, always leading forward and always taking people with him but in a more quieter and respectable way.

“Don’t get me wrong, JT was respectable, but in a different way and in a different manner. They both have got that qualify of being a leader, and they both have won a lot in this game so they can give that experience to their players.”

Noel Whelan

Derby have had plenty of beef with Leeds United this season, but former Whites striker Whelan, who covers the club for BBC Radio Leeds, has been full of praise for Lampard.

“He is a winner,” Whelan told Sporting Life’s Sky Bet Championship podcast. “He demands that from his players, he’s not coming here for his first opportunity and thinking I’ll finish fourth or fifth and that’s great, he is installing something into these players that they’ve been lacking when they’ve spent all this money.

“He is installing a winning mentality, attitude and character to these players, along with the talent they have, they are organised and are a dangerous side. He passes that enthusiasm and steeliness from his playing days to his players and you can see that.”


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