Ex-Chelsea striker Carlton Cole believes Frank Lampard deserves another shot at the Blues job. The Stamford Bridge hotseat is vacant once again after Enzo Maresca’s dramatic exit on New Year’s Day. Maresca won the Conference League and the Club World Cup during his 18-month spell at ChelseaGettyMaresca left after 18 months in charge following a tumultuous falling out with the Chelsea hierarchy. The Blues are expected to appoint a new permanent manager within days – and Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is the frontrunner. However, Cole has floated the idea of a third stint in charge for Chelsea legend Lampard. The current Coventry manager is doing a remarkable job in the Championship, taking the Sky Blues from a relegation battle in November 2024 to the top of table in 2026 – with an eight-point lead. Earlier in his coaching career, Lampard was sacked by Chelsea and Everton after less than two seasons in charge, before returning to Stamford Bridge for a difficult interim spell in 2023. Despite his struggles in the Premier League, Cole was quick to point out that Lampard’s first season in charge of Chelsea was a success.The 47-year-old secured a top-four finish on the back of a transfer embargo and the departure of star player Eden Hazard, integrating many unproven academy players. “His first outing there was really good,” Cole told talkSPORT. “Because he used the young players, he had Jody Morris next to him… “He did really well, better than expected, with no budget, so they had to feed the youth in. That set the tone.“You cannot forget that. That was miracle work from Lampard.”Lampard has been rebuilding his reputation after two Premier League sackingsGettyCole added: “I like Lampard as a Chelsea manager. The reason why I’m saying that is because I know he knows the club inside out.“He knows the culture, and listen, he didn’t do too bad in his first outing. Imagine if he gets backed. “But that’s another thing, if he was to come in, they couldn’t dictate to him what to do. That’s what none of them want.”Looking for a ‘yes man’?Maresca’s messy exit has sparked yet more questions over the way Chelsea is run by BlueCo – fronted up by Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.The Italian was left disillusioned by a lack of autonomy over football decisions, such as which players to rotate and which substitutions to make during matches. Ex-Hull City boss Rosenior is well known to Eghbali and Boehly, given Strasbourg are also owned by BlueCo.Rosenior is a contender to replace Maresca after earning plenty of praise for his work in charge of French club StrasbourgAFPIn fact, the Englishman has worked with a number of Chelsea players already, with his Ligue 1 side often acting as a feeder club for the Blues.But Cole has warned his old club that the game’s best coaches will be put off the job at Stamford Bridge if BlueCo keep interfering in matters on the pitch.“That’s not going to run in this world,” added the former striker.“Top managers are going to look at Chelsea now and think, ‘I’m not going there, I’m not getting dictated to’.“These coaches know the game, they know what they’re doing… don’t tell them how it needs to look on the football pitch.“You just do the money. You do the paper work. Let the managers deal with the football.”