Coventry City are in advanced talks with Frank Lampard over the managerial vacancy.
It is understood that no agreement has yet been reached, and talks will continue this week.
Lampard has been out of a job since May 2023 when his temporary spell at Chelsea ends, marking the end of his second spell in charge at his former club.
The Sky Blues are looking for a new manager after Mark Robbins was sacked on November 7. He was the third longest-serving manager in English football’s top four divisions after being appointed in March 2017.
Rhys Carr has been in caretaker charge since Robbins’ departure and oversaw a 2-2 draw with high-flying Sunderland in his only game in charge to date.
Coventry host Sheffield United at the Coventry Building Society Arena this week, live Sky Sports Football; start: 12.30.
Speaking Sky Sports News During a Coventry fans’ forum last week, owner Doug King confirmed Lampard’s bid for the role.
“We’ve received a huge number of CVs from top people, Frank being one of them,” he said.
“But the problem is that we haven’t done anything about that process because we’re dealing with this situation with the forum and focusing on us being available and giving answers.
“But obviously we’re in the international break. We’ll assess everything and then we’ll decide who will be shortlisted and then we’ll do the interviews.”
Asked how quickly Coventry hoped to meet, he added: “If we find the right person and we can all agree on what we want to agree on, then I think we can go pretty quickly. But if it’s not clear and we have to dig deeper into some things, then that may take a little longer.
“I’m open to Rhys Carr playing two or three more games if we can’t do it before the end of the international break.”
Robbins joined the club in 2017 and led Coventry from League Two to the Championship, and one game away from the Premier League in 2023, where they beat Luton 1-0 in the second-tier play-off final.
King said about the decision to fire Robbins. “I didn’t sleep much at all that night.
“I was debating in my mind if it was the right moment, but honestly, I knew it was the right thing to do.
“I wanted to shock this club a little bit and say that we are going to change some directions. We can’t just say things are going to get better at the end and we’re going to go up and be around. playoffs until we control it and make it happen.
“Obviously everyone was taken by surprise inside and outside the club. The reaction was a bit more than I expected.
“Honestly, I hated doing it because I really like Mark. I know what he’s done here and the respect he has here, and I really wish I wasn’t in that position.”
Smith: Lampard should make it
The former Leicester and: Arsenal: striker Alan Smith on Sky Sports News:
“He had some challenges, difficult times, you can say he had some failures in the second period at Chelsea, he can think. “Why did I accept it?” I guess it’s hard to give up your old club.
“For managers, as well as players, it’s a lot about getting into the right places at the right time, being able to say yes and no. Frank is desperate to be a manager, to be successful.
“It’s a big call from Coventry, so many fans were unhappy about Mark Robbins being sent off. They’ll be on the fence about his previous efforts in management. He’s got to get off to a good start, though I wish him well.
“You’ve got a couple of England greats, Wayne Rooney is trying to make his mark in management, now he’s at Plymouth. Steven Gerrard is struggling to make his mark in Saudi Arabia, will he be able to get back there?
“Lampard has to make it happen now. If he fails at Coventry, it might be fair as long as he gets another chance.”