Everton chiefs leave Frank Lampard in limbo with telling reaction to West Ham defeat

Frank Lampard’s job as Everton manager hangs in the balance after chairman Bill Kenwright and owner Farhad Moshiri refused to comment on his future after defeat at West Ham.

Everton were beaten 2-0 at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Jarrod Bowen’s double deepened their relegation worry. West Ham came into the game on a seven-match winless run in the Premier League, but got the better of Lampard’s out-of-form side.

Bowen scored twice in seven first-half minutes to ease the pressure on Hammers boss David Moyes and place Lampard’s job under serious jeopardy. Everton have now gone 10 matches without a win in all competitions and are 19th in the Premier League, level on 15 points with bottom side Southampton.

The defeat was made even worse for Lampard by the presence of Kenwright and Moshiri in east London. Moshiri, the Monaco-based owner, has not attended a match at Goodison Park since their 5-2 defeat to Watford in October 2021.

But after flying in for the match, he was able to see the extent of the problem with his own eyes. Before he left, Moshiri was collared by Sky Sports, who asked if it was time for Lampard to leave. Moshiri replied: “I can’t comment. It’s not my decision.”

Kenwright was asked the same question. “It’s been a bad run of results for us all, for Frank, but I would never, ever say that to you, ever,” he replied.

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Asked if things have to change, he added: “We’ve just got to start winning, haven’t we? It’s a bad time.”

In his post-match media duties Lampard insisted that he remained committed to Everton and rejected the idea that the owners’ attendance was significant. “Not at all. I think a lot has been made out of that in the last week,” he told Sky Sports.

“I know that there are issues around it, don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to close my ears to anything. But for me as a coach it’s never been significant. I said it the other day: at Chelsea, I don’t think the owner came to many of my games, for 18 months – pretty much zero, I think, maybe a friendly.

“It’s just about how you work everyday, the actions you do, the support you feel, the communication – they’re the important things.”

Asked about his dealings with Kenwright and Moshiri, he said: “We communicate all the time – and we have done pretty much since I’ve been here. I don’t always go into those communications and it’s not my job to probably make them public, or to hang on, you’ve just got to keep working. I’m going to keep working and trying to do my best for the club.”

Everton have a two-week break before hosting Premier League leaders Arsenal on February 4. The following game is a Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield on February 13.