Frank Lampard has returned to the Chelsea dugout two years after he was sacked when the club was languishing in ninth.
The former Blues captain signed a number of high-profile players during his first spell as manager at Stamford Bridge, most notably Germany international Kai Havertz in a deal worth £70million, as well as Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell.
Lampard also landed two players on a free transfer, both centre-backs from Ligue 1 – Malang Sarr from Nice and Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain, with the latter quickly becoming, and to this day remaining, one of Chelsea’s most important players.
After Silva penned his contract with Chelsea, Lampard sent the centre-back a photo of them together at the Maracana, where England drew 2-2 with Brazil in a friendly in 2013.
Silva opened up about the gift in an interview with FourFourTwo, revealing what the gesture meant to him.
Frank Lampard signed Thiago Silva for Chelsea ( Image: Getty Images)
“As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013,” he said. “It was a nice surprise.
“He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester City.
“I didn’t think twice when I heard Chelsea were interested in me – not only because of their history but also because Willian and David Luiz invariably spoke highly of them.
“Marina [Granovskaia, club director] called me after I’d agreed, then passed me on to Frank. It was through a translator because I still don’t speak English and his accent was even tougher for me!”
Fernandez explains to Lampard what tactics he’d prefer at Chelsea amid return (Image: Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
In an interview with the club’s official website, Fernandez explained what challenges he’s faced since arriving in the Premier League and how he’s likes to play. The Argentina international said: “It’s a very tough league. I am coming from the Portuguese League where sometimes you play more with the ball.
“Here the game is faster and more physical so I am adapting step by step. I know it is going to take time but I have the support from my team-mates and the coaching staff so I can adapt quicker and better here.
“I describe myself as with the characteristics to always have the ball, always play nice football, building up with passes,” Fernandez added. “I like this type of football, keeping the possession, building up the game with passes and then attacking the spaces.”
With Lampard seemingly set to return to the Chelsea dugout, Fernandez has once been compared to the former Blues captain. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Hernan Crespo said: “He [Fernandez] is [Claude] Makalele plus [Frank] Lampard.
“If you need him in the Makelele position he can play very well. This guy can also smell the goal, good shot from outside the box so if you need him behind the striker, Lampard or [Michael] Essien, he can do it.
“As a manager, having a player that can play in lots of positions, it’s really important in football today. He can do everything as a midfielder. He can be one of the best midfielders in history.”
