Frank Lampard has been named EFL Championship Manager of the Season after guiding Coventry City back to the Premier League, ending the club’s 25-year absence from the top flight.
The award caps a remarkable campaign in which Coventry defied expectations and outperformed several traditional heavyweights to seal promotion.
With 86 points already on the board and three games left, Coventry remain in the race for the Championship title.
However, Lampard’s impact has already been recognised with the top managerial prize at the EFL awards ceremony on Sunday.
Reflecting on the achievement, Lampard said: “I was emotional the other night because it dawned on me in that moment what we had achieved.”
He added: “A club that I walked into 16 months ago that had gone to the depths and back up, and football is always about people and always about supporters and I’d missed it.”
Lampard described the promotion as a collective success, crediting the players and supporters for their role in the club’s resurgence.
“This is something special for everyone connected to the club. The supporters have been incredible, and the players have shown belief and character throughout the season,” he said.
For the former England international, the award also represents a form of redemption following his exit from Chelsea FC in 2023.
“This journey has been about proving ourselves again, building something from the ground up and showing what we are capable of,” Lampard noted.
Coventry’s return to the Premier League is widely regarded as one of the standout stories of the season, with Lampard praised for instilling discipline and a clear tactical identity in the team.
“We stayed focused, we stayed together, and we believed. That has made the difference,” he said.