David Luiz Warns Lampard of Impatient Chelsea Fans

By Max Wise

Frank Lampard’s honeymoon period as Chelsea manager will only last for six months before the club’s demanding fans make their true feelings known if things are not going right, David Luiz has warned.

Lampard replaced Maurizio Sarri as Chelsea manager a fortnight ago but his task has been made difficult by the club’s inability to sign new players as a result of a two-window transfer ban imposed on them by FIFA which they are appealing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Lampard will also not have chance to work with Chelsea’s best player last season, Eden Hazard, who completed a dream move to Real Madrid in the off-season.

Chelsea’s chop-and-change culture means Lampard is already the club’s 10th full-time manager ever since Roman Abramovich bought the London-based club in 2003.

David Luiz, who is the only surviving member of Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League winning squad, believes Lampard’s status as a Chelsea legend will buy him some time but ultimately the club must perform to the required standard.

"I think everyone understands the moment and everyone understands to be patient, but in the end everyone wants to win," centre-back Luiz said, according to Football London.

"They are going to be patient in the first six months and then in the last six months [of the season] they want us to win.

"It is going to be like that, we have to think about that and do the best to make them happy.

"If you don't think like that [about winning trophies], then you can't play for Chelsea. The ambition has to be high. Of course, you have many, many fantastic clubs.

"They [other clubs] are working with the managers more than three or four years and they have amazing squads. On the pitch it is up to us to have to show our jobs."

"I think we just lost a big, big name, a legend of the club in Eden Hazard, but we have many players who can do the job."

Lampard spent 13 years as a player at Chelsea after joining from West Ham United in 2001 for £11m and is the club’s all-time top scorer with 211 goals from 648 appearances.

Chelsea’s first game in next season’s Premier League is against Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 11 before they take on Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup three days later.