Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 12:51 / Updated on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 12:51
Mikel Arteta (44), Arsenal's technician, had an unpleasant surprise at the gala organized by the English Professional Football Coaches Association.
Despite winning the Premier League title and bringing the trophy to the Emirates after 22 years, the Spaniard did not receive the big 'Coach of the Year' award.
Frank Lampard, appointed coach of the year in England!
Arteta was named the best manager in the Premier League, but the ultimate accolade, awarded for performances across all of England's professional leagues, went to Frank Lampard (47).
The former England international had an impressive season on the bench for Coventry, which he led to promotion to the Premier League after winning the Championship outright. Coventry thus returns to the first echelon of English football after an absence of 25 years.
Other nominees for the top prize included Brentford's Keith Andrews, Aston Villa's Unai Emery, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Lincoln City's Michael Skubala and Bromley's Andy Woodman.
The return of Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard, manager of Coventry, the first team promoted to the Premier League/ photo Getty Images
Coventry managed to break the curse and reach the first league after some dramatic misses. In 2023, they lost the promotion play-off final to Luton on penalties.
In the immediately following season, 2023–2024, there was a setback and the team missed out on qualifying for the play-offs. Then in 2024-25 Coventry made a poor start to the Championship and manager Mark Robins was sacked.
He was replaced by Frank Lampard, who took over the 17th-placed team in November 2024. He made a miraculous comeback and qualified for the play-offs, where they lost to Sunderland in the semi-finals.
Frank Lampard, who comes after missed experiences at Everton and Chelsea, returns to the Premier League after 3 years. And he brought Coventry back to the top flight after 25 years.
