After making optimum utilization of the 2020-21 transfer window by investing in youngsters like Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and also bringing in the experienced Thiago Silva in the squad to consolidate the defense, Chelsea will definitely look to strengthen their chances of not only lifting the Premier League under the club legend Frank Lampard but would also try to get their hands on the Champions League finally after 9 years.
Chelsea are planning on overhauling their squad ahead of the 2020-21 campaign with several new arrivals and plenty of sales already done before the Premier League season gets underway. Frank Lampard is looking for greater depth as his side hopes to compete both domestically as well as in Europe.
Chelsea has had the worst defensive record in the top half of the Premier League in the last term. They also faced a ban from registering players last summer as they failed to get any deals done in the January window. Hence, Lampard is definitely looking to make up for the lost time.
The West London Club has responded by potentially splashing over £250 million on new signings in an effort to bridge the gap between Liverpool and Manchester City- the two super giants of the Premier League at the moment.
Goalkeepers
It is clear that Lampard has lost faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga, despite the 25-year-old being the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. Kepa, who arrived from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million in 2018, did not play on two separate occasions this season. If Chelsea finds a suitable buyer, Lampard will be more than happy to let him go.
Ben Foster and Nick Pope are both affordable options but Ajax stopper Andre Onana appears best suited to Lampard’s preferred playing style and would be available for around £35 million.
Defence: The major problem of ChelseaÂ
Chelsea have serious problems at the back with Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori, all failing to nail down a regular starting berth this term.
The veteran Brazilian and the PSG legend can offer a solution to Lampard’s problems, as he has already moved to London on a free transfer for a one-year contract. Silva ended up the last season with PSG winning the domestic treble in League 1 and leading his side to the first ever UCL final. Although he tried his best, Bayern Munich enjoyed the final laugh.
Chelsea have also signed the French defender Malang Sarr on a free transfer. Sarr, 21, joins after his contract at Nice ran out in the summer, signing a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Midfield
Chelsea have a wealth of midfield options but Lampard appears to have settled on N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic as his first-choice starters.
What has been a blessing in disguise for Chelsea is that they were successfully able to pull out a difficult looking deal with Bayer Leverkusen as they signed-in the young German prodigy Kai Havertz, who enjoyed a phenomenal record of scoring 7 goals in 9 appearances post quarantine period for Leverkusen as a mid-fielder. He will surely be an asset to the squad.
Attack: An area to work for Chelsea
It’s all change going forward for Chelsea with Ziyech and Werner replacing Willian and Pedro after the pair left at the end of their contracts. Willian moved to the rival club Arsenal following the path of former team mate David Luiz and Pedro joined the Italian club Roma.
Werner is expected to come straight into the starting XI up front meaning Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud will find game time hard to come by. Ziyech should occupy the right wing while Christian Pulisic, who was Chelsea’s best player after lock down, has moved well ahead of Hudson-Odoi in Lampard’s eyes. Pulisic will most probably start as the left winger.
The last time such a historic change took place at Chelsea was in 2003, when there was a change in ownership. This time it is because of the arrival of Frank Lampard, the legend who helped Chelsea conquer Europe. The journey in the Premier League will not be easy for Lampard and team as there are already very well-balanced teams present in the league with much more experience and better quality of play. However, it would be intriguing to see where will this high end investment lead Chelsea?
Will Lampard be a hero just like Guardiola who invested and brought a revolution at Manchester City or will it just be a Mourinho’s fairy tale? Guess we will have to wait to find out!
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