Frank Lampard has been sacked by Chelsea after 18 months of being in charge of the Blues as Thomas Tuchel is set to replace him.
Lampard’s Chelsea have been in a poor run of form and they remain 9th in the premier league standing.
In a statement, Chelsea said “results and performances have not met the club’s expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement”.
Tuchel who left PSG recently is in line to replace Lampard and plans to appoint him are under way before the game against Wolves on Wednesday and the German remains the only candidate for the role.
Lampard, who is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, enjoyed a good first season as Chelsea’s boss, taking them to the FA Cup final and securing qualification for the Champions League.
But after being given more than £200m to spend on new players in the summer, Chelsea find themselves ninth in the Premier League after 19 games, 11 points behind leaders Manchester United and five points off Liverpool in fourth.
In a statement, Abramovich said: “This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him.
“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.
“On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”
