The consortium in charge of Premier League strugglers Newcastle United are divided about the prospect of hiring former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard as Steve Bruce’s replacement, as reported by the Telegraph.
How must Bruce be feeling on Tuesday morning, a freshly-printed P45 plonked on his desk?
Saddened, perhaps, after losing the job he had always dreamt of? Then again, maybe he is a little relieved.
But with the Bruce era over and with his old employer Mike Ashley riding off into the sunset – gleefully counting every penny of his new £300 million fortune – attention now will turn to finding a replacement.
And there is no shortage of candidates.
Will Frank Lampard get the Newcastle United job?
While Antonio Conte, Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter have distanced themselves from the role, Lucien Favre and Paulo Fonseca are understood to have done the opposite.
Both are out of work, available immediately and offer plenty of experience, not to mention a reputation for attractive, attacking football.
Favre has a history when it comes to turning around sinking ships, dragging Borussia Monchengladbach from the bottom of the Bundesliga and into the Champions League places in the space of just a few short months.
Do the same at Newcastle and a new statue will be erected next to Sir Bobby Robson’s outside St James’ Park. Fonseca, meanwhile, has accumulated an impressive nine trophies during his coaching career.
With the likes of Favre and Fonseca on the shortlist, there are understandable doubts among some on the Newcastle board about Lampard; a coach who, while boasting Premier League experience, remains unproven in top-level management.
The Telegraph says that some in the consortium are ‘pushing’ for Lampard. Others, however, are not so keen.
The 43-year-old proved, during spells at Derby County and Chelsea, that he is capable of instilling an enthralling style of football while getting the best out of exciting young players like Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James.
There are serious doubts about his tactical acumen, however, which may prove a major concern for a club likely to spend the first few months of the PIF regime mired in a relegation battle.
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