Why this 44-year-old Chelsea legend is the right candidate to take over as Derby County boss

The name Gary Rowett will be forever cursed in Derby, as the 44-year-old decided to trade in a promotion battle with Derby for a promotion battle with the newly relegated Stoke City.

It seems like a slightly strange decision from the ex-Birmingham City man but it seems like the transfer budget at his disposal at Stoke will be larger than Derby’s and that seems to have tipped him over the edge.

With Rowett moving on, the next item on the agenda is his replacement. With the fans furious about Rowett moving on and the board deciding to tighten their purse-strings, it seems like a very difficult appointment to make.

They need someone who will inspire the fans and get them back onside whilst also keeping within the limited budget the board has set.

Step into the frame, Frank Lampard – the ex-Chelsea midfielder. He is an incredibly interesting prospect for the Derby County hierarchy, especially considering the parameters laid out above.

His legacy in the footballing world would make him quite an inspirational appointment and would probably satiate the fans’ need for a manager with a large reputation. It feels like he will be an excellent manager one day and whoever gets him first may end up making an excellent gamble.

The other parameter is that he would work on a strict budget laid out by the chairman, and Lampard’s managerial inexperience could work perfectly with this plan. He is less versed in pushing for his demands as a manager and therefore, the board will assumedly receive less pushback on their plans.

Overall, it is very hard to tell if Lampard would be a good call to take over as Derby County boss. He would certainly be an interesting gamble but it is very hard to tell whether he would be able to maintain the standards that Rowett set last season or whether he would find the whole challenge a bit too much.

There are a couple of other names in the mix. Carlos Carvalhal, who is newly available after leaving Swansea, Mick McCarthy, who has bags of experience and Harry Redknapp, who has proven himself at Championship level time and time again are all available.

Looking at this list will be quite painful for Derby fans though and Lampard may seem like a signal of a new start for them. An exciting young manager with bags of playing experience, he may be the perfect man for the job.