Brendan Rodgers installed as FAVOURITE to be the next Chelsea manager

Brendan Rodgers has been installed as the bookies’ favourite to be the next Chelsea boss as pressure builds on Frank Lampard. 

Chelsea slipped to a fourth defeat in their last six games against Manchester City on Sunday after a dreadful first half where they conceded three times in the opening 34 minutes.

Despite a £253million splurge in the summer window, Chelsea find themselves eighth in the table after 17 games – three points off the top four and seven adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Brendan Rodgers is favourite to be the next Chelsea boss as pressure builds on Frank Lampard

Roman Abramovich (centre) has a reputation of ruthlessly sacking managers at Chelsea

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has an infamous reputation of ruthlessly sacking managers, and Lampard is now believed to be walking a tightrope.

The favourite to replace him is Rodgers, who has Leicester sitting third in the table and just a point off the pace.

Leicester missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of last season, but have been transformed into a top-four challenger since Rodgers replaced Claude Puel nearly two years ago.

It would be a stunning return for Rodgers, who joined Chelsea’s academy head youth coach under Jose Mourinho in 2004.

He then worked as reserve team manager at the club and kept his job under Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, before he took the reins at Watford in 2008. 

He is 3/1 to replace Lampard, while recently deposed PSG boss Thomas Tuchel sits as second-favourite with odds of 5/1.

Julian Nagelsmann, who took RB Leipzig to the semi-finals of last season’s Champions League is back at 6/1, while Massimiliano Allegri, who has been out of work since leaving Juventus 18 months ago, is at 7/1.

But there is a surprise inclusion for Rafa Benitez at 10/1, who had an infamous spell as Chelsea’s interim manager in the 2012-13 season.

Though the Spaniard picked up the Europa League, he was widely disliked by the Chelsea fanbase due to the rivalry that stemmed from his six years in charge of Liverpool.

Former interim boss Rafa Benitez is behind former reserve team manager Rodgers in the odds

Lampard’s former team-mate John Terry (right) is 12/1 to take over at Stamford Bridge

Behind Benitez is Lampard’s former team-mate, current Aston Villa assistant and Chelsea legend John Terry. The former club captain, who lifted the Champions League in 2012 and five league titles, has made no secret of his desire to manage the Blues in the future.

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo (14/1) and England’s Gareth Southgate (20/1) also feature on the list.

Lampard insisted on Sunday that he was unflustered by questions over his future despite the demoralising collapse to Manchester City. 

He said: ‘At the minute, we are in a tough period. I understand it as I played here for a long time. I understand the minute that you lose a few games in a short period of time then everyone looks and asks questions.

Thomas Tuchel is second-favourite after recently being sacked by Paris Saint-Germain

Massimiliano Allegri is on the list as he awaits his first job since leaving Juventus in 2019

‘Then everyone looks at it differently and says you spent that much money.

‘I will always feel the heat. I felt the heat when we were on our good run because I know that around the corner can be the negative.

‘I am not going to speak for people above me because I can never do that. That’s why I couldn’t answer a month ago about me getting a new contract, I can’t answer what they’re thinking about now but it is what it is.

‘It is my job to focus on working, not what they’re thinking, that would just distract me and I can’t do it.’