For the first time in 25 years, Coventry City is on the verge of joining the Premier League, thanks to Frank Lampard’s guidance.

Doug King, the Sky Blues’ owner, hired the former Chelsea and England midfield hero as head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract in November 2024, shortly after Mark Robins’ epic career came to an end.

In what has been an exciting Championship season, the West Midlands club has been the most consistent in the division, as evidenced by the fact that they are still 10 points ahead of second-placed Ipswich Town with four games remaining, and they could secure promotion with just one point on Friday night when they face Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Doing so will not be easy, with Michael O’Neill’s team enjoying a recent resurgence that has seen them steal points from some of the teams vying for a place in the Premier League next season, and City fans will be acutely aware of this following their unexpected goalless draw against Sheffield Wednesday at the CBS Arena last time out.

Regardless, Lampard’s ability to ensure his team’s emphatic recovery from last season’s play-off semi-final defeat at the hands of Sunderland has earned him cult hero status in Coventry, and they will undoubtedly hope he can prove any remaining doubters wrong about his top-flight managerial credentials next season.

In a new twist, they may be thrilled to read one journalist’s interpretation of reports tying him to the soon-to-be vacant AFC Bournemouth post, following the announcement that Andoni Iraola will leave the Vitality Stadium at the conclusion of the season.

Coventry City will be pleased with a new revelation made by a journalist about Frank Lampard and AFC Bournemouth’s management links.

The Cherries have revealed that Iraola will leave officially on June 30th, when his current contract with the Dorset club expires, after failing to extend terms with the 43-year-old, who has given the club a chance of competing in Europe next season.

Given Iraola’s performance with Bournemouth, speculation over his future has been intense, with chatter already circulating about who could be his successor.

The I Paper said that Rayo Vallecano’s manager, Inigo Perez, is a prominent candidate on the hierarchy’s shortlist to replace Iraola, with whom he previously worked at the Estadio de Vallecas.

The same magazine also said that Lampard, along with Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, is a strong contender, with the Coventry manager having well-documented ties to the club through the Redknapp family, specifically his uncle, Harry, who managed Bournemouth from 1983 to 1992.

Given his previous top-flight managerial record in two spells with Chelsea and one with Everton, the news has divided opinion, though, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, the 47-year-old is not on the Cherries’ shortlist, which will please Sky Blues supporters for now.

Coventry City fans will want to escape a same fate as Derby County with Frank Lampard.

As previously said, Crook’s update will be welcome news for City fans, who are ecstatic that they might have promotion – and even the Championship championship – secured as early as Sunday afternoon, depending on how the games unfold.

They will, however, seek to avoid a same fate as Derby County, where Lampard’s managerial career began during the 2018/19 season in the second division.

After leading the Rams to the play-off final, where they were defeated by Aston Villa, Lampard replaced Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, where his standing as a player is unquestionable.

Given his links to Bournemouth, albeit not as strong on a personal level this time, this could play a role, though City fans will be hoping he stays loyal and helps the team reestablish itself in the Premier League after a quarter-century absence.