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Report: Derby has Chelsea asking price for Lampard

By Nicholas MendolaJun 14, 2019, 10:26 AM EDT
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The BBC claims that Chelsea is yet to contact Derby County regarding the managerial services of Frank Lampard.

But that doesn’t mean the Rams don’t have an asking price for the Blues legend.

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Chelsea would need to pay Derby around $5 million to hire Lampard as the replacement for Maurizio Sarri.

That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as Juventus is reportedly going to pay more than $1 million more than that to bring Sarri back to Italy.

This is the second-straight summer of managerial transfer fees for Chelsea after the Blues eventually worked out compensation that brought midfielder Jorginho and manager Sarri from Naples to London.

Is Lampard ready for the big time? He had a fine first season at Derby County, but that pales in comparison to working for Roman Abramovich during a season without transfer buys. We wonder if Abramovich will remember the financial handcuffs the first time Chelsea hits a rough patch.

Aston Villa wins Premier League promotion

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By Nicholas MendolaMay 27, 2019, 11:54 AM EDT
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  • Villa back in Premier League for first time since 2015-16
  • El Ghazi involved in both Villa goals
  • Marriott strikes late for Frank Lampard‘s Rams

Prince William and Jimmy Dugan — er, Tom Hanks — rejoice: Your club is back in the top flight.

Anwar El Ghazi was the star of the show as Aston Villa clinched Premier League promotion with a 2-1 defeat of Derby County in the Championship Playoff Final at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

Al-Ghazi scored and helped produce John McGinn’s insurance goal, and Derby’s Jack Marriott got a deserved goal late to close the gap.

[ MORE: Spurs “so positive” on Kane health ]

Villa got its first half goal from Al-Ghazi when he stooped to head a Mohamed Elmohamady cross into the goal.

And it was Al-Ghazi’s drive and shot from distance which was blocked into the air. Rams goalkeeper Kelle Roos timed his leap poorly in reaction, allowing McGinn to fire in front to head the ball out of his hands and into the goal.

At that point it felt like more of the same, as Villa beat Derby 4-0 and 3-0 during the season.

Derby picked up its intensity later, and Marriott turned and hit a pretty strike that skittered just wide of the far post. He’d later bundle a ball over the line to set up a grandstand finish.

Derby sued by Middlesbrough over alleged financial transgressions

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By Kyle BonnMay 25, 2019, 11:56 AM EDT
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Middlesbrough has opened legal proceedings against playoff finalists Derby County over what they allege to be a breach in the Football League’s financial rules.

Boro owner Steve Gibson is taking action over what he believes to be Derby County’s intentional circumvention of financial sustainability regulations by posting an $18.6 million profit last season despite Derby owner Mel Morris selling the club’s ground Pride Park and then leasing it back.

Derby, however, has maintained its innocence, with the club even providing a written offer to all other clubs to review their books, an offer which Derby alleges Middlesbrough declined to take advantage of. “Middlesbrough were offered by us in writing to come with their advisors to go through our submissions for profitability and sustainability, [but] they declined.”

Gibson also attempted to force Derby to submit their financials to an independent inquiry, but all other Championship clubs voted it down. The Middlesbrough owner went after Aston Villa in late April, with Tony Pulis confirming the owner is “not happy” over “rules being broken.” Gibson attempted the same maneuver, hoping to force Villa to submit to an independent financial inquiry, but the other Championship clubs also turned that motion down.

Reports of Morris’s financial troubles with the club came to a head around that time in March when a report suggested Morris wanted out of the club, looking for a buyer after suffering losses of nearly $3.8 million per month as Derby owner. At that point Derby sat seventh in the Championship table and fell to ninth by the end of the month. Now, having recovered to earn a playoff position at the death, they now sit in the playoff final, set to play Aston Villa on Sunday for a spot in the Premier League.

Championship Final preview: Aston Villa v. Derby County

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By Nicholas MendolaMay 24, 2019, 11:28 AM EDT
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Nineteen spots in the 2019-20 Premier League season have been clinched, and Monday will see the final berth awarded to either Derby County or Aston Villa.

It’s the richest game in football, and two historic English clubs will see it as their way back to a rightful place in the top flight.

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Aston Villa was a mainstay of the PL for the first 24 years of the league’s existence, but has spent three seasons in the Championship.

Derby County has spent seven years in the top flight across two separate spells, and twice won the top flight in the 1970s.

Separated by just two points on the table this season, fifth place Villa beat Derby decisively in both league matches.

Three different scorers marked their names in the 3-0 decision at Pride Park in November before Villa bettered the score line with a 4-0 triumph at home on March 2.

Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson has been the scoring star for Frank Lampard‘s Rams, bagging 15 goals. Fellow loanee Mason Mount of Chelsea has also been key with eight goals and five assists, while Jack Marriott and Martyn Waghorn have chipped in plenty.

Another Chelsea loanee, Tammy Abraham, is the clear threat for Villa, having potted 26 goals this season. Transfer market mainstay Jack Grealish has been in focus, too, for Dean Smith’s men. Smith is becoming just as big a star, having charged Villa up the table since taking over in October.

Monday morning’s match will change the fortunes and legacies of many players and both managers. And Lampard is already being tipped as a possible Chelsea boss.

Lampard: Derby ‘underdogs again, but we’re there’

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By Nicholas MendolaMay 15, 2019, 8:11 PM EDT
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It’s a banner day for Derby County, who hopes there’s another to come for the Pride Park outfit.

Frank Lampard‘s Rams became the first club in Championship playoff history to lose the first leg at home and advance, topping Leeds United 4-2 on Wednesday for a 4-3 aggregate win and a date with Aston Villa in the final.

[ MORE: Match recap ]

And Derby owner Mel Morris has a lot of love for Lampard’s efforts following the Rams’ earning their first playoff final berth since 2014. From the BBC:

“What a night. If we were going to do it, that is the way to do it. I was more nervous when we had a goal lead than I was before the game when I was quite calm. But towards the end I was on the edge. This is Frank’s first season as manager and no one has done this before. What an achievement.”

As for the man himself, Lampard is buzzing and claimed the team was better over both legs of a glorious win. From Sky Sports:

“We were 1-0 down, I said to the lads everyone had written us off. It’s 1/8 for them to go through or something, everyone says they’ve beaten us three times, but we made a little tweak, and it worked brilliantly but you need bravery on the ball and the lads showed it.

“There’s work to do, this isn’t the end, we’re underdogs again and we’ll have a tough game against a brilliant Villa team, but we’re there.”

Derby and Aston Villa is a match-up of historic English clubs, and the subplots are plenty. It’s difficult to bet against either side given their seasons.