Coventry City secured automatic promotion to the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Friday night.

Frank Lampard was then named EFL manager of the year on Sunday evening in recognition of his involvement in the club’s success, defeating strong competition from Kim Hellberg, Sergej Jakirovic, and Alex Neil.

The Sky Blues have not competed in the top flight since 2001, when they returned after a 25-year sabbatical.

Coventry had been close in two of the previous three seasons, losing in the play-offs to Luton Town and Sunderland.

However, preparations for life in the Premier League will now begin, with the goal of surviving there for more than a season.

The club can still win the Championship if Lampard’s side earns three points in their final two games.

Frank Lampard warns Doug King about Coventry City.

Lampard has spoken out about his connection with Coventry owner Doug King following the club’s elevation to the Premier League.

The 47-year-old has stated that he gets along well with his employer as well as recruitment chief Dean Austin, adding that they maintain an open conversation whenever something needs to be handled, which is critical at this level.

“I think that if you can get along well with your owner, man to man, that’s a good start,” Lampard told Coventry Live.

“And we can laugh and speak, agree and disagree, and I’m sure we’ll have some conflicts in the coming weeks, maybe even during the summer.

“When you have that hands-on approach, and we’re a small organization, I believe it’s a wonderful thing because if I need to impart something, I can go to Doug or Dean Austin, who has recruited players at the level that we were working at, as well as good people and lads that want to work.

“The whole thing has been amazing and I came into that and myself and my staff have added to that process and we have seen the results of it.”

Lampard also reminded King about the hard work that lies ahead as Coventry strives to construct a club capable of competing in the Premier League next season.

“Have we had a lot of hard work? “Yes, we have,” he said.

“Doug, there’s a lot of work to do.

“And this club has come a long way in a short period of time, and Doug deserves a lot of credit for that because of what he’s done on the training ground, with his passion, and with a club that has gone down and come back up.

“His passion is huge and now we will have to take on the challenge of what it is and go for it.”

Lampard took over at the CBS Arena in November 2024, following the departure of long-time manager Mark Robins.

During his stint with the Sky Blues, the 56-year-old oversaw their progress from League Two to League One, as well as their EFL Trophy victory in 2017.

Before Lampard came over, Coventry had reached the play-off final in 2023 and the FA Cup semi-final in 2024, so he had huge shoes to fill.

The former England international had to rehabilitate his reputation after two catastrophic Premier League campaigns with Everton and Chelsea.

Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge for a second tenure as temporary head coach for the remainder of the 2022/23 season, however he led the Blues to just one win in 11 games, finishing 12th in the Premier League.

Coventry are currently just two games away from securing the Championship title, needing only three points.

The Sky Blues’ next match comes at home against Portsmouth on Tuesday at 7.45 p.m.

Coventry City has a big summer ahead of them

Lampard and King will need to work hard this summer because preparing for life in the Premier League will not be easy.

Recruitment will be critical to their potential to remain in the top flight, as the team will need to be strengthened.

While a balance must be struck between rewarding players who earned promotion and moving up in divisions, the reality is that the move is a significant task, and higher quality will be required across the first squad.

Lampard had a relatively quiet first summer in charge of Coventry in terms of recruitment, but it would be surprising if that continued this year.