"Great headline to put together" - Frank Lampard responds to reports claiming he got the Chelsea job because of James Corden

Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard has opened up on rumors suggesting club co-owner Todd Boehly sought James Corden's advice before making the managerial decision.

The Blues sacked Graham Potter on April 2. They then announced Lampard's appointment as interim manager until the end of the season.

As per The Sun, co-owner Todd Boehly appointed the club legend on the recommendation of TV personality James Corden.

Boehly and Corden seem to have become friends in the past year. The Chelsea co-owner invited the Englishman to watch a match from the director's box and both were also seen having a night out together earlier this season.

Meanwhile, Corden came across Lampard on a show called "A League Of Their Own," which the latter's cousin Jamie Redknapp was also a part of.

Lampard was recently asked about the rumors suggesting Boehly hired him based on Corden's recommendation. He replied (via Metro):

"I saw the headline about James Corden. I’m absolutely not aware if it’s true or not. But it’s obviously a great headline to put together, casually, from the outside."

He added:

"So I think when I look at the success of Todd Boehly, the owners of Chelsea football club, I think you have to respect that success and respect the idea that they will probably make decisions based on more than a conversation with one person.

"So that’s as much as I’m going to give your two questions."

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Frank Lampard on N'Golo Kante's fitness head of Chelsea's clash against Real Madrid

N'Golo Kante suffered a hamstring injury in August 2022 in Chelsea's 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. He has since been out of action and only recently returned. The French midfielder has made just two appearances since getting back to full fitness.

Ahead of the Blues' UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first-leg encounter at Real Madrid on April 12, Lampard provided a fitness update on Kante. He said (via Chelseafc.com):

"I think N’Golo’s a special player. I know the difficulties N’Golo’s had recently with injuries but in terms of coming back at a really high level, I witnessed him do that.

"He did in the Super Cup against Liverpool a few years ago. He passed a fitness test, hadn’t played for a long time and he was the best player on the pitch for 120 minutes.

"He has the capacity to do that because he’s a special player. When we miss him as a club we miss him because of how good he is so it’s a positive that he’s back for sure."

Kante has made just four appearances across competitions for the Blues this season.