Jason Cundy feels Everton took a ‘calculated risk’ by hiring Frank Lampard to replace Rafa Benitez as the Goodison Park outfit had an eye on ‘getting relegated’, he told talkSPORT.
The Toffees appointed Lampard in January as their sixth full-time boss since Farhad Moshiri bought into the club in 2016. The British-Iranian sacked Roberto Martinez after just three-months, before hiring Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva and then Carlo Ancelotti.
Benitez was Moshiri’s choice to replace Ancelotti when the Italian suddenly upped sticks to re-join Real Madrid last year. Yet the Spaniard would only last six-and-a-half-months, while his 22-game tenure marks the joint-shortest reign by games managed in the Blues’ history.
Lampard adopted an Everton side badly out of form when he replaced Benitez at the helm. The Spaniard saw out his tenure with a 2-1 defeat by relegation-threatened Norwich City. He also only won five of 19 Premier League fixtures in charge, including one of his final 13.
Yet it took Lampard two games to take his first win as Everton manager with a 3-0 result at home to Leeds United. But the Blues have lost three on the spin with an aggregate score of 8-0 since. They now sit just a point from the drop zone but with a game in hand on Burnley.
Cundy feels Everton took ‘calculated risk’ in Lampard viewed toward relegation
Cundy feels Everton accepted relegation from the Premier League could be possible when Moshiri hired Lampard as Benitez’s heir. He took charge with the club 16th in the table and four-points from the bottom three. They also now have the fourth-worst goal difference.
Only 20th-place Norwich (minus-42), 16th Leeds (minus-32) and 19th Watford (minus-23) have a worse goal difference than the Blues (minus-18). So, Cundy feels Everton looked at the potential drop when they decided former Derby County boss Lampard was the right fit.
“I don’t think [fans]’ll want Lampard out,” the ex-Tottenham defender said. “They got rid of Benitez, they made the call with Frank who’s a relative newcomer to management. Nothing else should matter to Everton, just stay in the Premier League, even if it’s by one goal.
“I think what they’re doing with Frank, there’s half an eye on getting relegated. To give him that length of time. Frank’s managed in the Championship, you have to think about that at this stage of the season. It’s a calculated risk.”
Lampard took Derby to the Championship play-off final during his first year of management before leaving to take over Chelsea. The Rams had lost in the semi-finals the previous term under Gary Rowett and are yet to return to Wembley in their bid for a top-flight berth.
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