Frank Lampard appears set to extend his contract with Coventry City this summer, guaranteeing that he’ll be in the dugout for their opening Premier League match against Arsenal in August.
Sky Sports News report that Coventry City manager Frank Lampard is close to agreeing a new deal with the club, with talks progressing for him to extend his stay.
Lampard has a year left on his existing agreement, and the extension is understood to be a long-term one.
The news comes amid the confirmation from the newly-released Premier League fixture list that Coventry City’s first game back in the top flight will be away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
In fact, Arsenal and Coventry are set to kick off the Premier League season as a whole, with their game taking place on the Friday night ahead of the first weekend of league fixtures.
The game will take place on August 21st at 20:00 BST, and it will be televised in the UK on Sky Sports.
The fixture pits the Premier League champions against the Championship champions, with Coventry having won the second-tier league with 95 points from their 46 matches. Though Arsenal’s 85 points in 38 games means they had the better points-per-game.
The promoted sides always come up with plenty of excitement for their opening fixtures, with some of the players playing their first minutes in top-flight football, and the whole squad having a point to prove about the fact they belong in the division.
Lampard’s contract extension would mean Coventry also enter the division with some stability at the top, so there’s every chance they could prove a stumbling block for the Gunners.
On the upside, Mikel Arteta’s record against Lampard is excellent. Though he lost his first game against Lampard’s Chelsea and drew the second 2-2, he’s since won four consecutive games against Lampard. He’ll want to make it five in a row in August.
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