Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has lauded his ex-Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard for guiding EFL Championship outfit Coventry City back into the Premier League after 25 years, Footynaija.com reports.
Lampard took charge of Coventry back in November 2024, with the Sky Blues languishing in 17th place at the time. He quickly turned their fortunes around and guided them to last season’s promotion play-offs, however, they fell just short against eventual winners Sunderland.
Despite that disappointment, Coventry, under the tutelage of the former England midfielder, carried their strong form into the 2025/2026 season and duly secured automatic promotion after getting a vital point at Ewood Park over the weekend.
Sharing his thoughts on the achievement, Mikel tipped his hat off to his former teammate for doing “an amazing job” at the CBS Arena.

“As always, I’m in support of his work,” the former Chelsea midfielder said on the Obi One podcast. What an amazing job Lampard has done. Getting Coventry City back into the Premier League is amazing.
“We all knew where the club was when he took over, we know their history. It’s good to see them back. He’s back where he belongs. You make mistakes in life, and sometimes you have to go down and find yourself again.
“I think that’s what has happened with him, and that experience will be vital in the Premier League next season. I sent him a text telling him to go on and win the title, and he told me not to worry about that.”

Mikel and Lampard spent eight years together at Chelsea, sharing the pitch on 228 occasions and winning two Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.














