Frank Lampard 'Not Interested in the Speculation' Linking Him to Chelsea Job

Frank Lampard isn't thinking about rumours linking him with former club Chelsea, but he is planning talks about his future as Derby County manager.

Lampard and the Rams missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing the Championship play-off final 2-1 against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Lampard addressed his plans:

"I'm not interested in the speculation. What is likely is I'll speak to Mel Morris, the owner, in the next few days when the dust settles and then we'll see how it goes. I've got a two-year contract and I love working at this place. The fans giving the players an ovation...we'll see."

Lampard sounds like a man content to continue his work at Derby. He's enjoyed a strong first season in charge, despite defeat at Wembley.

Reaching the play-off final capped a campaign that also featured a win over Manchester United and former boss Jose Mourinho in the Carabao Cup.

This isn't the first time Lampard has played down links with Chelsea. He swatted the question aside before the trip to Wembley:

Rumours have been building as doubts persist about current Blues boss Maurizio Sarri. The Italian has been linked with a move to Serie A champions Juventus this summer:

The Daily Telegraph's John Percy named Lampard "as the leading contender to replace" Sarri. Lampard established himself as a legend at Stamford Bridge during a decorated career as a prolific midfielder.

He broke the club's all-time goalscoring record and lifted the Premier League trophy four times, as well as winning the UEFA Champions League.

Lampard makes an intriguing candidate to manage his old team after proving his worth in English football's second tier. He's directed an enterprising team loaded with young talent, including Chelsea loanees Mason Mount, 20, and 21-year-old defender Fikayo Tomori.

Their places in the team sum up Lampard's fidelity to developing young talents:

Chelsea will need to adopt a similar philosophy with the club facing a FIFA-imposed transfer ban set to cover the next two windows. Not being able to invest in new talent will naturally increase Chelsea's reliance on academy products such as gifted and versatile winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The same approach would help refresh a team still reliant on veterans such as Pedro Rodriguez, Olivier Giroud and David Luiz. Lampard has proved he will trust youth and also favour the kind of expansive game Chelsea have rarely played since Roman Abramovich assumed ownership in 2003.

Sarri was hired to make Chelsea more entertaining to watch, but the 60-year-old has struggled to impose so-called "Sarriball" within the squad. Yet for all his issues, Sarri still guided Chelsea to third in the Premier League and a place in next season's Champions League.

He'll also lead the Blues out against London rivals Arsenal for Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final in Baku. It's the second cup final Chelsea have reached this season, after losing on penalties to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup back in February.

If Sarri wins on Wednesday, he'll have set a tough act for any potential successor to follow. Lampard may relish the challenge, though, knowing how difficult getting Derby back in the promotion mix will be.

Mount and Tomori will return from loan, as will another star borrowed from the Premier League, Liverpool winger Harry Wilson, the creative fulcrum of Lampard's team.

Lampard hinted at the problem after losing to Villa: "It's important we start the work really quickly (for next season) because the squad is very thin now for next year."

Not being able to keep a competitive team together may tempt Lampard to accelerate the next phase of his managerial career.