Frank Lampard has been named as Chelsea’s interim manager until the end of the season, with the club great returning for a second spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard became Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer during an illustrious playing career in west London, but found success more difficult during his previous 18 months as manager. The 44-year-old has been brought back to familiar settings after the sacking of Graham Potter, with Lampard tasked with steadying the ship until the end of the season.

Lampard is not the first Premier League manager to have returned to a former club though…

Here are five coaches who went back for a second spell.

Kevin Keegan (Newcastle)

Newcastle’s exciting side of the nineties captured the imagination of the Premier League audience, as Kevin Keegan turned the Magpies from second division strugglers to top-flight title contenders.

After leading Newcastle to promotion from the second tier, Keegan’s side secured four consecutive top-six finishes in the top-flight.

The Magpies’ ‘Entertainers‘ finished second in successive seasons and battled Manchester United for the title, including their infamous 1995/96 campaign that saw the runaway leaders blow a 12-point advantage to end the season as runners-up.

16 January 2008

Kevin Keegan returned for his second spell in charge of @NUFC #PLMoments pic.twitter.com/uDJNfBn9qW

— Premier League (@premierleague) July 14, 2017

Keegan resigned from his role at St James’ Park in 1997, but returned over a decade later much to the delight of the Toon Army. The ever-enthusiastic Keegan failed to reach the heights of his first spell however, with his second stint lasting just eight months. After criticising the Newcastle board and owner Mike Ashley, he resigned for a second time in September 2008.

90s Gold: How Newcastle United went from Keegan’s Entertainers to Dalglish’s Dad’s Army

Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth)

Harry Redknapp completed a remarkable turn of events when he returned to Portsmouth for a second spell.

Redknapp had led Portsmouth to promotion to the Premier League during his first spell, but soured relations with the south coast club after he walked out and joined bitter rivals Southampton. Branded a traitor upon his exit, Portsmouth fans were delighted as he was unable to keep the Saints in the Premier League.

"Pompey fans used to come down on fishing boats and shout abuse at me"

"Stefanović said gaffer you're mad, why did you come back?!"@Redknapp on leaving Portsmouth for great rivals Southampton in 2004 and then returning to the club a year later

The Joe Cole Cast… pic.twitter.com/pkJeueGpSu

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 24, 2022

Incredibly, Redknapp returned to Portsmouth less than a year after his departure. Struggling near the bottom of the table, chairman Milan Mandaric chose a familiar face to lead Pompey’s battle to beat the drop.

A lukewarm reception understandably awaited on Redknapp’s return, but he led the side to survival to begin his redemption tale. Consecutive top-half finishes and an FA Cup win in 2008 saw Redknapp’s popularity in Portsmouth restored.

Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)

Kenny Dalglish’s career at Liverpool saw him affectionately referred to as ‘King Kenny’, having led the Reds to huge success as both player and manager.

He won three league titles as Liverpool manager during his first spell in charge, the first of which came as he combined a playing role during the 1985/86 campaign. Dalglish departed before the birth of the Premier League, after admitting the strain of the Hillsborough disaster had taken its toll.

Embed from Getty Images

After winning the Premier League title at Blackburn in 1994/95 and spells at Newcastle and Celtic, Dalglish made an emotional return to Liverpool in 2011. Roy Hodgson’s reign had proven a disaster and Dalglish took charge on an initial interim basis, before his permanent appointment.

The Scot led the side to League Cup success in 2012, and missed out on a domestic cup double after Liverpool lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup final. An eighth-place finish – Liverpool’s lowest since 1994 – was deemed below expectations however, and Dalglish was sacked.

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)

Jose Mourinho was the darling of Stamford Bridge during his first spell in west London, as the ‘Special One’ waltzed into the Premier League and won back-to-back league titles.

Mourinho had attracted the attention of Roman Abramovich after winning the Champions League at Porto, before becoming the perfect frontman for Chelsea’s rise to the top of the Premier League. Consecutive league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup were all won, before Mourinho’s increasingly fractious relationship with Abramovich led to his exit in 2007.

Embed from Getty Images

After collecting more major trophies at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho returned to Chelsea ahead of the 2013/14 campaign. He won a third Premier League crown during his first season back in English football, but the success would not last and he was sacked for a second time just seven months after that title triumph.

He departed with Chelsea 16th in the Premier League table after a dreadful start to their title defence, one which saw the Blues lose nine of their first 16 league fixtures.

David Moyes (West Ham)

West Ham agreed a deal to bring David Moyes back to the club in 2019, having previously snubbed the former caretaker boss for the permanent position.

Moyes had replaced Slaven Bilic and led West Ham to Premier League safety during his first spell, but was overlooked for the position on a full-time basis as the Hammers opted to “go in a different direction” with former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Embed from Getty Images

Pellegrini lasted 18 months, before being sacked with the Hammers hovering above the relegation places. Moyes returned and again led the side to safety, before guiding West Ham to consecutive top-seven finishes and European qualification.

Last season the Hammers reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, but Moyes’ side have been unable to build on that success and the 59-year-old is under pressure with the club currently mired in relegation trouble.

Read – Iconic Performances: Messi’s four-goal demolition of Arsenal

Read Also – Golazo Merchants: The mad genius, Paolo Di Canio

Subscribe to our social channels:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

The post Lampard’s next – Five times Premier League managers returned to their former clubs first appeared on The Football Faithful.