Frank Lampard backs ex Hearts striker to become Premier League talisman as he gets set for England's top table
The former Hearts striker has also featured for the likes of Everton and Sunderland.
Frank Lampard has backed a former Hearts striker to rise to the challenge of Premier League football next season.
Ellis Simms has played his part for Coventry City in an epic season that’s concluded with Championship title glory. His hat-trick during last weekend’s win over Watford took him to 14 goals for the campaign as the man who spent time on loan in Gorgie during 2022 from Everton makes a big leap. Simms featured at senior level for Everton and also impressed on loan at Sunderland.
He will now get the chance to play at England’s top table again next season and Lampard insists the former Jambo, Toffees and Sunderland hitman is ready. Lampard told Coventry Live: “Yeah, and he’s shown a lot of that all season for me. I think he’s improved a lot. He’s already a talented player but all the basics of forward play in terms of hold-up, run behind, securing the ball, competing and then finishing is the extra bit.
What former Everton, Hearts and Sunderland star is stepping up to the Premier League?
“Ellis showed that he’s got all those components in different ways and they’re improving all the time. He’s so game and he’s so humble off the pitch. He trains every day and when he doesn’t start he doesn’t say anything, he just carries on and when he comes into games he does great. And today, amazing, and the whole squad and obviously the fanbase as well, everyone’s taken to him because of how he carries himself.
“But as a player, I think huge credit for the striker he is and he’s still a relatively young man as well. And this year he’s worked so diligently on the things he needed to, and then his all-round game is great.”
On whether or not the former Hearts and Sunderland striker, who the Chelsea and England hero managed in the Premier League at Everton, can ‘rise to the challenge at the highest level next season’, he said: “Yeah I think he will because of the way he is. As I say, he’s a quiet, family man. The lads love him and he’s actually got a really dry sense of humour.
Frank Lampard on Ellis Simms at Coventry City
"But as a player, yeah, there’s no reason why he won’t because he just deals with football like it’s his job and like he wants to improve every day. He wants to score goals so why can’t he improve more.”
Lampard added via the BBC: "I would say I'm so happy that it happened to him but there's so many players in this team that I love, I want it to happen to all of them. Ellis has got better and better, his all-round game , his hold-up play, his running behind, the quality of his finishes - it was a beautiful hat-trick. I'm really happy for him, he's so humble, and gets on with his life."
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