Roman Abramovich's 'insane' behaviour towards Chelsea manager when he was owner
Roman Abramovich's behaviour towards a manager during his spell as Chelsea owner has been described as 'insane'.
Abramovich purchased Chelsea in 2003 and his hefty investment helped the Blues become a global powerhouse on and off the pitch.
During his trophy-laden 19-year reign, Chelsea won five Premier League titles, three League Cups and the Champions League twice.
Several managers worked under the Abramovich era, including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte.
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Not to mention Frank Lampard, who replaced Maurizio Sarri in the summer of 2019.
Despite Lampard's status as a club icon given his legendary playing career at Stamford Bridge, he never had one conversation with the Russian billionaire.
That's according to ex-Chelsea player and coach Jody Morris, who claims director Marina Granovskaia ran the club.
Morris, who was a part of Lampard's coaching staff at Chelsea, told All Out Football podcast: "He (Lampard) never had one conversation with Roman (Abramovich) the whole time he was there.
"The whole time when we went back there, Marina (Granovskaia) was running the club.
"Frank Lampard is the manager of Chelsea and he never had one conversation with Roman as manager."
Stunned by Morris' revelation, Joleon Lescott interjected: "You’re saying that now, I’m thinking that’s insane."
Morris added: "He had conversations when he played for Chelsea, but then you come back as manager and they didn’t have one conversation, and he wanted to."
Unlike his spell as a player, Lampard endured a tough managerial stint at Chelsea, who were imposed by a transfer ban when he arrived.
He was relieved of his duties in January 2021 following a meeting with chairman Bruce Buck and the aforementioned Granovskaia.
According to Sky Sports, Lampard didn't get the chance to say goodbye to the Chelsea players personally following the club's decision to sack him.
And Sky Sports' report backs up Morris' claim as the outlet claim Granovskaia - not Abramovich - delivered the news to the players at the training ground.
Lampard was replaced by Thomas Tuchel.
Topics: Frank Lampard, Chelsea, Football
Nasir Jabbar