Chelsea manager Lampard insists he would never manage Tottenham after Mourinho appointment

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has insisted he would never think about taking charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

Jose Mourinho was recently announced as Tottenham’s new manager, replacing Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentinian was sacked on Tuesday evening following a poor start to the 2019/20 season.

His appointment came under some criticism from Chelsea fans given the rivalry between the Blues and Tottenham. Mourinho won three Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup across two spells with Chelsea.

Would Lampard ever manage Tottenham? Five things to know…

• Mourinho was announced as the new Spurs manager on Wednesday.
• The Portuguese replaced Pochettino, who had spent five years with the club.
• Mourinho had previously said he wouldn’t manage Tottenham due to his Chelsea links.
• However, he justified his change of heart with the fact he was sacked twice by Chelsea.
• But Lampard insists he would never manage Spurs after spending 13 years as a Chelsea player.

Old quotes of Mourinho’s also surfaced, in which the Portuguese said he would never manage Tottenham due to his Chelsea links, though he attributed his change of heart to the nature of football.

“[That was] before I was sacked! This is modern football,” he said in his first press conference as Tottenham manager.

“In relation to players, the Bosman law changed everything. In relation to us coaches, because of you [the media] we lost that stability.”

Naturally, Mourinho’s appointment was a topic of conversation at many Premier League press conferences in the build up to this weekend’s action, including Chelsea’s. And current Blues boss Lampard insists his history with the club as a player would stop him from joining Tottenham.

“I can firmly say no, and you can replay that again in 10 years,” he told reporters when asked if he could see himself at Tottenham in the future.

“It wouldn’t happen but I think things are different, Jose Mourinho works for a lot of football clubs and we have to respect his right to work, on the other hand, I was here for 13 years as a player and have an absolutely deep feeling for a club.

“Obviously, I went to Manchester City for a year at the end of my career but Chelsea is certainly so close to my heart hence why I am so proud to manage the club and why I wouldn’t manage Tottenham.

“That’s no disrespect to anyone, it’s just because of what Chelsea has given me over my time as a player and now, it’s certainly not on my list.”

Lampard, who also started his career at another of Tottenham’s rivals, West Ham United, spent 13 years with Chelsea and is the club’s all-time record goalscorer. He also won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League with the Blues.

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Lampard understands Mourinho’s Tottenham decision

Despite revealing he would never manage Tottenham himself, Lampard did admit he understands why Mourinho would choose to go to the north London club, regardless of the reaction from fans.

“That’s only his decision, and you only make that decision as you go,” he added when asked whether Mourinho disrespected Chelsea.

“And Jose Mourinho has managed a lot of football clubs over a long career and sometimes that’s what happens. So that’s his decision and whether fans judge you or not is out of your hands.

“It’s something, you take those decisions and you see but as a professional, you have to understand the right to work.

“But we do also have this tribal instinct in this country where fans react to that, but that remains to be seen.”