Frank Lampard is in the running to take over at one of Leeds United’s Championship rivals but the Elland Road enemy could be pipped by a manager that left Leeds in 2023.
Lampard has been out of work since his second spell as Chelsea manager, in which he worked as interim boss in 2023. The Premier League and England icon is looking for his fifth role as a senior manager.
Over the weekend, reports emerged that Lampard was front runner for the Coventry job after the Sky Blues made the surprise decision to sack long-standing boss Mark Robins after a poor start to 2024-25.
However, Lampard is not the only manager in the running to take over at Coventry. Leeds have already faced Coventry at Elland Road this season, a game which saw Daniel Farke’s side run out 3-0 winners.
Frank Lampard may miss out on Coventry job to Michael Skubala
Michael Skubala was Leeds manager towards the end of 2022-23 for three games, taking a point against Manchester United at Old Trafford before losing at Elland Road to Man United, and a 1-0 loss at Everton.
He has since left Elland Road and taken on the job at Lincoln in League One, where Skubala has really impressed. The manager is guiding Lincoln towards the play-offs, with the third-tier side currently fifth.
But that work has not gone unnoticed and The Mail’s Tom Collomosse reports that Skubala is also in the frame to take over at Coventry ahead of Lampard. But for now, Lampard remains the lead candidate.
He said: “Coventry latest. King/Austin to meet this week. 60-70 applicants for the post. Lampard in frame if he’s interested. Skubala/Eustace among others. King needs to get this right to calm angry fan base.”
Michael Skubala’s record in numbers since taking over at Lincoln
Taking over Lincoln in a solid 10th position in November 2023 after leaving Leeds earlier that year, Skubala guided Lincoln to seventh and narrowly missing out on a place in the League One play-offs.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals scored | Goals against | Win ratio |
| 49 | 23 | 13 | 14 | 73 | 46 | 0.47 |
Robins’ departure leaves big shoes to fill and Coventry fans are expectant. Whether Skubala would want to risk his early managerial career by moving to a club with big pressure does remain to be seen.
But it would be a move he is deserving of. Coventry will know they will need to appease fans and a big-name appointment like Lampard would help do that, but Skubala might be the better one long-term.
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