Frank Lampard insists playing honours count for nothing as Chelsea manager

Frank Lampard has insisted his glittering playing career with Chelsea will count for nothing as he sets about the daunting task of bridging the chasm to Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League as the club’s new head coach.

The former England midfielder has signed a three-year contract worth a basic £4m a season after Derby received about £4m in compensation. Lampard spent 13 seasons at Chelsea, becoming the club’s record goalscorer, and his appointment sure to reunite a fanbase that had split during Maurizio Sarri’s one-year tenure.

Lampard acknowledged this opportunity owed much to the reputation he had established while a player but he does not expect the status he enjoys at the club to grant him leeway in the dugout. “When I started out in management one year ago I thought that was a challenge, because you have to start again,” he said. “I don’t want credit for my playing career. That will last five minutes, and I understand it should last five minutes because I should be judged on what I do here and what I do going forward.

“I always loved a challenge. Coming here 19 years ago was a challenge. I remember driving home with the radio on and some people were questioning whether I should be here for £11m. I worked really hard to put that right as a player, and now I am in a position where I have to work really hard to be successful as a manager here.

“The word realist keeps coming up, and I am a realist and don’t want favours going into something. That is not the way I work. People will question [my appointment] – I’m ready for that. Completely. I believe in myself completely and I want to show that I am ready to -manage this club.”

Lampard has been joined by his assistant at Derby, Jody Morris, and the fitness coach, Chris Jones, two former Chelsea employees. Eddie Newton and Joe Edwards have been added to the coaching staff, and Claude Makelele will oversee the loan players. Chelsea are operating under a transfer ban, though the head coach does not envisage expectations being tempered by an inability to recruit. “I am very aware of what the job of this size means in football,” he said.

“When you come to a club like Chelsea who have expectations, who have standards, who are competitive year in year out … I understand that and can’t run away from it. I wouldn’t say I’m apprehensive. I am a realist. I understand what is wanted from me from within the club. I will try to deliver.”