Frank Lampard has sent a message to Derby County fans on social media, following his decision to leave the club to become the next manager of Chelsea.
Lampard has signed a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge, after Derby were able to agree a compensation package with Chelsea to allow him to leave Pride Park.
Derby assistant manager Jody Morris and first-team coach Chris Jones have also left the club to become part of Lampard's coaching staff at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard had been the favourite to succeed Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea for weeks, after guiding Derby to the Championship play-off final in his first season as a manager last term.
Derby owner Mel Morris had hoped to keep hold of Lampard and had opened talks with him over extending his contract at Pride Park, but the manager was finally given permission to speak to Chelsea last week.
Lampard has posted a message on his personal
/">Instagram
"I would like to say a special thank you to Mel Morris, players, staff and everyone who is associated with Derby County Football Club," Lampard wrote in his message on Instagram.
"It has been a fantastic experience for me and I feel privileged to have managed such a prestigious club.
"Most of all, I want to thank the fans who supported me and the team from the day I arrived in the City. I wish everyone the best of luck going forward."
Phillip Cocu is reportedly set to replace Lampard as Derby manager, with the appointment set to be confirmed later today.
The Verdict
Lampard did a fantastic job in his first season as a manager and I think we all expected him to become the manager of Chelsea one day, but it's fair to say that this appointment has happened a lot sooner than any of us could have anticipated a year ago.
It must have been a tough decision for Lampard to leave Derby, but it was always going to be difficult for him to say no to Chelsea given his personal links with the club.
While I don't blame Lampard for taking the job, I'm not sure he's experienced enough to manage a club like Chelsea at this stage of his career and perhaps he would have been better off remaining at Derby for a few more seasons.
I hope he's given proper time to achieve success at Stamford Bridge, as it could seriously damage his reputation as a manager if he is sacked after a short period of time.
It's a real blow for Derby to lose Lampard after just one season and it leaves the club in a difficult position, but it appears as though they already have a good replacement lined up in Cocu.