the relegation places. His only permanent signing in charge was the deadline day signing of Senegalese midfielder Badou Ndiaye from Turkish club Galatasaray for a fee of £14 million. Furthermore, the club completed the signing of Kostas Stafylidis on loan from FC Augsburg until the end of the season. Lambert was unable to prevent Stoke's continued decline and relegation to the Championship, leaving the club via mutual agreement in May 2018 after just four months in charge. Ipswich Town On 27 October 2018, Lambert was appointed as the manager of Championship club Ipswich Town, making him the first ever manager to manage both Ipswich and Norwich. He joined his new team on a contract until the summer of 2021, with the side bottom of the Championship. On 10 February 2019, Lambert was sent off following a touchline bust-up with the opposing team staff during a game against former club and rivals Norwich City. He was subsequently fined and handed a two match touchline ban by the FA. Lambert later stated he did not regret his actions that led to his dismissal. Lambert was ultimately unable to keep Ipswich in the division, as relegation was confirmed on 13 April 2019. This ended Ipswich's 17-year stay in the Championship, resulting in them playing third-tier football for the first time since 1957. Despite the team's relegation, Lambert remained in charge and led Ipswich to the top of the League One table during the first month of the 2019–20 season, winning 14 league points out of possible 18 during August. He won the EFL League One Manager of the Month award for August 2019. On 1 January 2020, Lambert signed a new 5-year contract with the club until 2025. Despite a strong start, Lambert failed to achieve promotion with the team finishing in 11th after the league was determined on a points-per-game basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 27 October 2020, he was given a one-match touchline ban for directing foul and abusive language towards referee Kevin Johnson. He was also fined £1,000. Lambert tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, which resulted in the postponement of two league matches. Despite winning his two last games in charge against Hull City and Doncaster Rovers, Lambert left Ipswich by mutual consent on 28 February 2021 after failing to mount a promotion push during the season due to inconsistent form. Career statistics Club International Scores