Frank Lampard thinking of friends at Chelsea in ‘tough moment’ for former club

Frank Lampard has offered his support to friends at Chelsea amid the Stamford Bridge club’s “tough moment”.

Chelsea’s all-time top-scorer and former manager believes the reigning world and European champions will survive the turbulence of owner Roman Abramovich’s Government sanctions.

Abramovich’s UK assets are now frozen except for Chelsea, with the Blues continuing to operate under a strict licence.

Everton boss Lampard admitted hoping those people he knows from his time at Chelsea and the club’s fans can quickly emerge from the current uncertainty.

“I managed there for nearly two years, played there for 13 years and I have friends who work behind the scenes,” said Lampard.

“There will obviously be something on a human level if people are losing their jobs at Chelsea that I would care about.

“I care about the fans; the fans of Chelsea that were there before us and will be there after us. It is a tough moment for the club.

“I don’t want to hang on it too much because I am manager of Everton and that’s my priority, but of course on a human level for people who are just doing their jobs and that is in danger you care a lot about that.”

Lampard insisted he had not been close to Abramovich despite his long and storied association with the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s Blues.

But asked if he had revised his opinion of the 55-year-old, Lampard said: “No. One of the questions earlier said I was close to Roman Abramovich. I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve seen him in the last many years.

“I worked for Chelsea Football Club for 13 years and it was an absolute pleasure, and that’s exactly where I want to leave that one.”

The terms of Chelsea’s new Government licence currently prohibit the Blues from recruiting new players or signing their current stars to new contracts.

The Government will continue talks with Chelsea on amending details of that licence to help the Blues to operate as close to normal as possible.

A transfer and new contract embargo could leave Blues defenders Cesar Azpilicueta, Toni Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in limbo, at least in the short term with all three out of contract this summer.

Lampard insisted, however, that whatever the uncertainty over their own futures, the Chelsea players will know full well that the war in Ukraine must be everyone’s top concern.

“A lot of players will, generally in my experience, concentrate on the job and I tried to do that as a player,” said Lampard.

“But this is a bit bigger than that, I understand that. There is some doubt in the future, some uncertainty, and not just Chelsea.

“We watch the news every day and understand what is happening in the world and we have a bigger perspective than ever.

“So maybe a contract position – you might be on a free transfer – is not the main thing. Maybe it is what is going on in the world.”

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick, meanwhile, insisted staff at elite football clubs should not have to question which team they join, in light of the Government claiming to have confirmed Abramovich’s links to Russia President Vladimir Putin.

Asked if managers should have to think about the backgrounds of the clubs they work for, the German said: “Look, could anybody foresee what was happening there in the last three or four weeks? Nobody would have expected that to happen.

“I think we should be very careful to blame somebody for doing this or that. This couldn’t have been foreseen.

“Roman Abramovich has been the owner. Not only at Chelsea, also at Arsenal or at Everton there were some ownership shares by Russian oligarchs so this is not the only club.”

He added: “Everybody I think shares the same opinion that this is a tragedy what’s happening over there and that everybody can only say fingers crossed that they find somehow a peaceful solution once again.

“That it affects with all the measures that have been taken recently politically with regard to the economy or whatever, that it also affects now the football business in a way seems to be logical to me.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, who coached previously in Chelsea’s academy, offered his sympathy to the players and staff at the west London club.

“I’ve got a lot of friends at Chelsea, good people who have obviously been there for a long time, so it’s obviously a difficult situation they’re having to manage,” said Rodgers.

“Of course you feel for Thomas (Tuchel) the manager and the players because it’s out of their control. Their focus is on the football, but they’ve been placed in something that they’re having to manage at the moment.

“You can only imagine. We’re outside it and nothing to do with it and it’s the first question you’ve asked, so for Thomas, he’s probably getting peppered by loads of questions when really his only focus is very much the football.

“I’ve total empathy for him and for the players, but they’re very professional. They’re an outstanding team and I’m sure they’ll focus on that element between now and the end of the season.”