Frank Lampard missed out on the Rangers job to Philippe Clement and it appears he is set to be overlooked by MLS outfit Charlotte FC now too.
If Graeme Souness had his way, the one-time Chelsea, England and Manchester City star may be following in his footsteps in the Ibrox dugout these days.
Souness, who represented Rangers as both a player and a manager, played a role in helping to choose Mick Beale’s replacement two months ago, recommending Frank Lampard to the club’s bosses before Philippe Clement got the gig instead.
Rangers chose Philippe Clement over Frank Lampard
“There was the two outstanding candidates; Frank and Philippe,” Souness tells talkSPORT (26 October, 11am). “The final say wasn’t with me.
“For me, Frank had the edge because of this; Frank, I think, has still got a great deal to offer. Taking the Chelsea job when he did was always going to be very, very difficult. The Everton job is a basket case. And have they improved since Frank left? Not a bit.
“So, I wouldn’t be too critical of Frank. The thing that encouraged me about Frank is that he wanted to do it. He doesn’t need the money. He wants to be a successful manager. And he fancied the Rangers job.”
According to The Athletic, the London-born 45-year-old made it into ‘Judge’s houses’ in the battle for the Charlotte FC job, only to be pipped to the post by fellow Englishman Dean Smith.
Lampard, who remains without a club after being sacked by Everton in January and following a disastrous spell in interim charge of Chelsea, ‘fancied’ a fresh start on the other side of the Atlantic too.
Chelsea legend still without a job
Smith, who guided Aston Villa back to the Premier League in 2019 and kick-started Brentford’s rise, is now in ‘advanced talks’ to take over a Charlotte side who employ ex-Burnley midfielder Ashely Westwood, Poland international Kamil Jozwiak and former Rangers ace Scott Arfield.
Smith, the report adds, is Charlotte’s number one choice.
Clement, meanwhile, is still unbeaten after 12 games in charge at Rangers, winning nine and drawing three. He has helped cut the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to just five points and could secure qualification into the Europa League knockouts this week.
