Manager Frank Lampard guided Coventry City back into the Premier League after Friday’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers. The Sky Blues will be playing top-flight football for the first time since 2001 after their dominant run in the Championship.
Lampard has transformed Coventry since taking over at the CBS Arena in November 2024, when they were 17th in English football’s second tier. The former Chelsea and England midfielder arrived as the successor to long-serving Mark Robins at a team that was just two points outside the relegation zone. This will be Lampard’s fifth role as manager, following spells at Derby County, Everton and two spells at Chelsea.
He led Coventry to fifth place in his first season, but lost to Sunderland in the Championship play-off semi-final. The 47-year-old will likely view this season’s automatic promotion as the biggest achievement of his managerial career so far.
The Sky Blues currently have 86 points and are on course to win the Championship title. Lampard’s side are 11 points clear of second-placed Ipswich Town, with Kieran McKenna’s side having five games in hand.
Among those wishing to congratulate him on his promotion was Stoke City manager Robins, who was in charge of Coventry for nearly eight years before Lampard took over.
“They’re coming up. I’m really happy for them. Frank has done a great job, replacing me in a difficult situation and taking me to a different level. They’re going to go up now, they’ve got the stadium, they’re definitely looking more stable. Not only that, they’ve got a really good team and a top manager and they’re doing great.”
“To be fair, the owner has done a great job over there. Given what he’s done for the club and City and what plans they have when they finally get up and running, I think they’ll try to spend money to stay there. It’s definitely not for him, for the club, and for Frank, it’s not like you move up and stay there for one season. They’re going to try to stay there forever.”
“It took a quarter of a century to come back and it was a similar story to Wrexham’s in some ways as it came from far down the pyramid so it took a long time. I wish them all the best. I hope they are enjoying promotion and I hope we can emulate them in the years to come.”
