July 7, 2024

The 54-year-old’s last role was at Portman Road, where he spent three years before his departure in February 2021.

Lambert has promotions and Premier League experience on his CV but was unable to help the Tractor Boys return to the Championship – in part due to a lack of resources.

Ipswich are now back in the second tier, coming up last term under Kieran McKenna and their new American owners, but the Scot is yet to step back into management.

Paul Lambert has declined management offers

It seems that may not be on his radar anytime soon either, as he revealed in an exclusive interview with Football League World.

Pressed on whether he was waiting for another chance in management, he explained that he’d been offered roles over the past two years but declined them and was now interested in slightly different challenges.

Lambert said: “Teams have asked me if would I look at being a coach or a manager and I’ve declined it. Teams have asked me if I’d go in and help upstairs, which is quite interesting for me.

“I’ve done it for 20 years, would I want to go back in? At this moment, I don’t know because there are other things that I’m interested in. I’m still in football but there are other things I’m interested in, which is exciting.”

A 20-year playing career, spent in the Scottish Premiership and the Bundesliga, have meant other opportunities have not been in short supply since Lambert left Portman Road.

He explained: “Celtic made me an ambassador – I went to Madrid and I went to Rome. I had a great opportunity to meet the Pope. Football will never beat that, that was the most honourable thing to meet him.

“I was in Indonesia playing for the Dortmund legends and then in Germany watching Dortmund play Gladbach.”

Paul Lambert could offer plenty of experience to an EFL club in need

If clubs are looking to add some EFL nous above a head coach or manager then they could certainly do worse than Lambert.

The Scot impressed early on in his coaching career, having relative success on fairly minimal budgets at Wycombe Wanderers and Colchester United before taking charge at Norwich.

It was at Carrow Road that he really made his name, winning back-to-back promotions to take the Canaries from League One to the Premier League. Spells at Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves, Stoke City, and Ipswich would follow.

While it seems stepping back into management is not on his radar, it would be interesting to see what he could achieve above a young, up-and-coming head coach.

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