Chelsea make bold Frank Lampard decision ahead of Arsenal clash

Chelsea will retain Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season, according to a new report - meaning he will take charge of the Blues' clash against Arsenal next week.

Lampard was appointed on a temporary basis following the sacking of Graham Potter in March, with Chelsea still in the Champions League and with an outside chance of qualifying for European football next season.

But despite offering resistance in both legs of their quarter-final tie against Real Madrid, Chelsea bowed out of the Champions League on aggregate, losing 2-0 twice.

Furthermore, Lampard has lost all three of his Premier League games in charge - against Wolves, Brighton and Brentford.

But Sky Sports News claim they understand the Blues legend will stay on for the remainder of the campaign.

Lampard to stay at Chelsea

The pressure increased on Lampard after Tuesday's 2-0 home defeat to Brentford - especially given that rivals Tottenham dispensed with their interim boss, Cristian Stellini, this week after a poor run of form and performances

Lampard was brought in to stabilise the Blues until the appointment of a new manager, but that hasn't yet happened.

They were outplayed by an excellent Brighton side in their 2-1 defeat to the Seagulls earlier this month.

That the performance came just days after a battling display in the second leg of the Champions League tie against Real will have disappointed the England legend.

But he will now have the opportunity to guide his side to a respectable finish to the Premier League season, with six games still to play.

The Blues do face a challenging run-in, with a trip to Arsenal taking place next Tuesday.

They then face Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, who are both battling to stay in the Premier League, before ending the season with fixtures against Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle - with all three teams currently in the top four places.