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Lampard must deliver after Chelsea spending spree
LONDON, Aug 28, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Chelsea coach Frank Lampard is under
pressure to deliver a serious Premier League title challenge after a spending
spree fuelled by his desire to catch champions Liverpool.
Lampard showed promise in his first season by steering the Blues into the
Champions League with a fourth place domestic finish.
But Arsenal exposed the flaws that were visible in Lampard’s side all
season with a 2-1 win against their London rivals in the FA Cup final.
Having finished 33 points behind the Reds and 15 adrift of second placed
Manchester City last term, the response from the Stamford Bridge hierarchy
has been emphatic.
City set the record for the biggest total spend by a Premier League club
when Pep Guardiola splashed out œ223.8 million ($295 million) ahead of the
2017-18 season.
But Chelsea are on course to shatter that mark.
After enduring a transfer ban in the 2019 summer window before failing to
sign a single player during the 2020 January market, owner Roman Abramovich
sanctioned the kind of money-is-no-object recruitment drive that was
commonplace when he first bought the club.
After relying on a cadre of promising youngsters to kick-start his reign,
Lampard has prioritised proven talents in the transfer market.
He paid a combined œ141 million for Leipzig striker Timo Werner, Ajax
playmaker Hakim Ziyech and Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell.
The west Londoners are expected to wrap up their œ90 million swoop for
Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz this week, which would take them past
City’s record spree.
Malang Sarr has also arrived on a free transfer after the 21-year-old
centre-back left Nice, but he is seen as one for the future and will be sent
on loan.
That won’t be the end of Lampard’s overhaul as Brazilian centre-back Thiago
Silva is set to join Chelsea for free this week after leaving Paris Saint-
Germain following their Champions League final defeat.
Lampard will hope the lavish investment reaps the same rewards for his club
as City enjoyed in 2018, when they were crowned champions thanks in large
part to the spending of owner Sheikh Mansour.
– Great expectations –
Chelsea have not won the Premier League since 2017, failing to finish in
the top two since then as City and Liverpool established a formidable
duopoly.
Klopp’s side will be the team to beat when the new campaign kicks off on
September 12 and City can never be discounted while Guardiola is in charge.
But Chelsea are in the title conversation after bringing in so many quality
additions.
Now it is up to Lampard to ensure his team fulfil those burgeoning
expectations.
Often frustrated by Chelsea’s failure to break down stubborn, defensive
opponents last season, Lampard must find a way to harness the talents of
Christian Pulisic, Werner and Ziyech in what should be a vibrant front three.
Together with Havertz and Chilwell, those five were involved in a mammoth
131 goals in all competitions for their respective teams last season.
Lampard can also call on Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Callum Hudson-
Odoi to freshen up his attack.
Getting a disparate group of new recruits to gel successfully is no easy
task.
But scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem and Lampard will hope Silva and
Chilwell can solidify a defence that often conceded far too easily last term.
Chelsea allowed 54 league goals last season, 21 more than Liverpool and 19
more than City.
Chilwell should be an upgrade on Marcos Alonso and Emerson at left-back.
The 35-year-old Silva is expected to provide leadership and experience at
the heart of the defence, but it remains to be seen how he adapts to the
unique physical demands of the Premier League.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, was dropped
towards the end of the season, but veteran back-up Willy Caballero is not
significantly better than the error-prone Spaniard.
If Lampard can land a new keeper before the window shuts, he will be
perfectly placed to turn Chelsea’s from pretenders to genuine title
contenders.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0914 hrs