Frank Lampard reveals transfer chat with Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho before Coventry’s Premier League return

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard has revealed he consulted Jose Mourinho over an undisclosed player earlier this summer.

The pair’s relationship was thrust back into the spotlight this month with the release of ‘Mourinho’ – a three-part Netflix documentary about the Special One’s storied career.

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Chelsea legend Lampard gives fascinating insight into the methods of his famous two-time boss at Stamford Bridge, who has now returned to Real Madrid for a second spell.

Lampard, meanwhile, is gearing up for the return of Championship winners Coventry to the Premier League after a 25-year absence.

He takes his Sky Blues to champions Arsenal for the 2026/27 season’s curtain-raiser on Friday night – live on talkSPORT.

Joining us for an exclusive interview, Lampard’s ex-England teammate Darren Bent jokingly asked whether he could potentially call in a favour with Mourinho and nab a few unwanted Galacticos this summer. Maybe Kylian Mbappe or Rodrygo?

“Yeah, I’m sure Doug [King – the Coventry owner] would love the wages. It would be triple or quadruple our wage bill!” Lampard responded.

“Jose’s always there. Between us now, I did message him the other day about another player – not a Real Madrid player – but a player that he worked with previously and he’s always on call.

“It takes him a couple of days sometimes. I know he’s a busy man. But he came back with a very, very detailed talk about a certain player we’re talking about.

“We’ve got that connection forever now – the Chelsea boys, Jose and that little group that you saw in the documentary – and those sort of bonds do stay forever.”

What did Lampard learn from Mourinho?

One highly-publicised moment from the documentary was Lampard recalling a conversation with Mourinho in the shower during his early days with Chelsea in 2004.

The former England midfielder remembered Mourinho telling him he was already the best player in the world, but would only be recognised as such by winning trophies.

Lampard would go on to become Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer, winning every trophy available along the way.

Their relationship turning increasingly complicated through the years, starting with Lampard’s unexpected release from Stamford Bridge under Mourinho’s second tenure in 2014.

There was no love lost years later when Lampard took charge of Chelsea and Mourinho went to Tottenham.

But the Coventry boss admitted Mourinho’s influence on his managerial career is undeniable – even if it looks a little different for him personally.

When asked what he learned from Mourinho and the other great managers since taking over at Derby for his first job in 2018, Lampard responded: “Lots.

“I’ve watched the doc and it was great memories, specifically the first one, because it was just a Chelsea story, and it just brought back so many great things.

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“I knew I loved Jose from a long time ago, but seeing it all back was great.

“I worked with lots of great managers. He specifically was the one that impacted my career the most, in the moment he came in, because of the confidence he gave me.

“I think many managers have tried to imitate Jose, to a degree, and I wouldn’t or couldn’t do that because I don’t have his characteristics. I have my own.

“So there’s little bits and snippets of things that he said and the personal impacts he had on me that I try to have by being close to my players and being able to communicate with them in the right way. I try and do it in my own way.

“I try and be close to the players so they feel like I’m a coach on the pitch, but if they’ve got problems off the pitch… because I felt like Jose was that for me.

“I’m trying to do management my own way. It’s been eight years. It feels like it’s flown by but what I’ve probably learned the most is to get my own balance right in terms of… you can’t win every game.

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“You’re gonna be tested in those ways. You can’t search for perfection every day. You have to get your balance right off the pitch and on the pitch and prioritise the things that really matter.

“Hopefully these 18 months at Coventry, I’ve been able to show that that’s a little personal improvement for me.

“And it actually makes my life easier to get that balance right, because you get your time to rest, it’s a stressful job that will tax you, but you have to understand when you’re in it, that’s what it is.”