As Chelsea continue to pull off huge signing after huge signing, the message from the newest Blues players has been abundantly clear.
Frank Lampard is one of the primary reasons that the London club is beating some of Europe’s powerhouses to the signatures of the market’s hottest commodities, who are buying into the manager’s project of a younger side that will only get more dangerous over the next five seasons.
Chelsea’s all-time leading goal scorer faced his fair share of skepticism from rival fans after taking charge of an Eden Hazard-less Chelsea following just one season at Derby County that saw the club fail to secure promotion from the Championship. However, despite a transfer ban and one of the worst goalkeepers in Premier League history, a Champions League spot and a deep FA Cup run has Roman Abramovich and the board ready to push on for a title.
Now that he has the backing, Lampard and Chelsea are poised to challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City for the league title both this year and beyond.
DOUBLE DIP
Back in January, if you would have linked German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to a move to the same club, it would surely have been Liverpool. Now they are set to transform Chelsea’s already-potent attack, alongside fellow new arrival Hakim Ziyech.
It would be naïve to think it would have been this easy for Chelsea without the impacts of COVID-19 and Fenway Sports Group’s unwillingness to invest any significant money into Liverpool this window, but that cannot take away from the brilliance of the signings.
Werner, who scored the fourth-most goals (28) in Europe’s top five domestic leagues, seemed to have his heart set on a move to Anfield throughout the season before doing a U-turn when Lampard came calling. Even though Liverpool refused to pay his $67 million release clause, the 24-year-old striker was convinced by Chelsea’s project and the influence of the manager, and he felt like the move made more sense than sitting around waiting for Jürgen Klopp. Plus, Lampard made playing-time assurances for the player in addition to making it clear that the club has immediate title aspirations.
The Havertz signing is an even more impressive statement, with clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich losing out to Chelsea in the race for the star-in-the-making midfielder. Once again, the player chose to further his career in 2020 instead of waiting around for a potential bid next summer, and he cited his chat with Lampard as one of the major reasons why. The Blues legend will see a lot of traits in the 21-year-old Havertz that remind him of himself, and his abilities in the final third will give Chelsea a dynamic that they often lacked this past season.
HEIGHTENED EXPECTATIONS
No matter who you are, when Roman Abramovich opens the wallet and splashes the cash for Havertz, Werner, Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, and most likely a goalkeeper, the expectations on the manager will be heavy. Most Chelsea fans would have continued to sing Lampard’s name and back him as the manager no matter how poorly his inaugural campaign went, but his success means that fourth place may not be good enough anymore.
The key this season will simply be closing the gap to the top, which sat at an astounding 33 points when it was all said and done. Chelsea should at least be able to make Guardiola’s men sweat a little bit (they finished 15 points higher in 2019/20), especially with the news that Lionel Messi is staying in Barcelona instead of bringing his talents to Manchester City. As long as clear improvements are made, Lampard’s job should be secure for at least another season, when the title challenge he has spoken of becomes a real necessity.
The defensive reinforcements should, in theory, be enough to push Chelsea several points higher without even considering the exciting attacking upgrades that have been made. The squad conceded 54 goals last season, most in the top half of the table, which is not a sustainable model for success moving forward. The final piece to Abramovich’s transfer window puzzle is likely a replacement or challenger for record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goalkeeper spot, which will have a tremendous impact on the back line. His save percentage of 54.5% was quite literally the worst in Premier League history (730th place), and it doomed Lampard’s team several times.
Whichever way you slice it up, Frank Lampard is building something quite special in west London right now, and the rest of the league is on notice. It will likely take some time for all of the new arrivals to gel in the system and build chemistry, but the final product has the potential to bring Chelsea back to levels we haven’t seen in about a decade.
Buckle up, we’re just two weeks away.
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