• Former Derby and Chelsea coach to replace Mark Robins
• ‘Next appointment is very important,’ says owner King

Frank Lampard is closing on a return to management with Coventry, 18 months after exiting Chelsea. Lampard is expected to succeed Mark Robins, who was sacked after almost eight years in charge, with the club 17th in the Championship, two points above the relegation zone.

Lampard has been out of coaching since leaving his interim role in charge of Chelsea at the end of 2022-23, but the 46-year-old former England midfielder is poised to return to the dugout in a division he knows from his time in charge of Derby, whom he guided to the playoff final in 2019.