Chelsea appointed Frank Lampard as their manager Thursday, as owner Roman Abramovich turned to a fan favorite rather than an experienced hand to replace Maurizio Sarri and lead the club into a new era.
Lampard, adored by Chelsea fans as the heart and soul of the club's midfield during a trophy-laden 13 years at Stamford Bridge, was handed a three-year contract having left second tier Derby County.
A relative rookie as a manager, the 41-year-old Lampard earned plaudits for taking Derby into the Championship playoff final in his first year in the dugout - even if they just missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
Derby said an undisclosed compensation package had been agreed with Chelsea and wished Lampard well.
Lampard's assistant and former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris is returning with him to Stamford Bridge along with first team coach Chris Jones.
Lampard faces no small task in returning Chelsea to the status of Premier League title contenders following Sarri's departure to Juventus and Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid.
Sarri, who departed after one season at Stamford Bridge, guided Chelsea to the Europa League title and third place in the Premier League but was never loved by Chelsea fans.
The former England midfielder played a key role in Chelsea's golden era, making 648 appearances and scoring a club record 211 goals between 2001-2014.
In that time, he won three Premier League titles as well as the Champions League.