Frank Lampard made no attempt to hide his frustration after Chelsea’s search for a new forward ended in failure. He warned that the lack of incomings during January means his side are underdogs in the fight for Champions League qualification.
Lampard is understood to feel let down that the club did not bring in attacking reinforcements, especially as he was unable to make signings last summer. Chelsea’s manager had gone into the final day of the window hoping to secure a late deal for Dries Mertens, only for Napoli to refuse to sell the Belgian. He now fears that it could be tough to finish in the top four.
The lack of movement has implications for Olivier Giroud’s future – the French striker is unhappy that he has to stay put until his contract expires at the end of the season – and increases Chelsea’s reliance on Tammy Abraham, who is a doubt for Saturday ’s trip to Leicester because of an ankle injury.
Neither Giroud nor Michy Batshuayi have convinced as stand-ins for Abraham, who has 15 goals in all competitions, and Lampard had made it clear that he wanted to improve his attacking options when the club’s transfer ban was overturned in December. Chelsea’s main targets are out of reach until the summer, however, and short-term options such as Mertens and Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani, who is set to join Atlético Madrid in the summer, were also unavailable. In addition, Chelsea turned down the chance to sign Salomón Rondón on loan from the Chinese club Dalian Yifang.
While Chelsea are fourth, their recent form has been underwhelming. Lampard admitted concern about his rivals strengthening, pointing to Manchester United buying Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon and Tottenham signing Gedson Fernandes, Steven Bergwijn and Giovani Lo Celso.
“Look at Manchester United signing a big, big player, a world class player in my opinion,” he said. “And the teams around us, Sheffield United making fantastic signings. Chris Wilder’s job is incredible because he’s had years to work that group and now they’re adding where he sees fit.
“Tottenham have signed a few, and they’re not far behind us. And not only have they signed a few, but a couple of players have left where they were towards the end of their contracts and maybe weren’t happy being at the club. Sometimes that’s as important as bringing players in.
“This is not to talk ourselves down, because we’re six points clear in fourth, [but] now we probably become the underdogs … because the teams around us have strengthened.”
Giroud’s possible move to Internazionale fell through, and interest from Spurs and Lazio led nowhere. The 33-year-old is desperate not to lose his place in the France squad for Euro 2020, and will not wish to spend the next few months on the sidelines. Chelsea are likely to revive their interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Red Bull Leipzig’s Timo Werner in the summer, and Lampard said the challenge now is to work on the training ground.
“I have to be the first person who remains positive and I have to be truthful when I speak out loud,” he said. “We know that recruitment is huge for a team that wants to be successful. Look no further than Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years.
“But it’s a fact. People will get bored if I keep crying about that fact. I have to work. The players have to work. I think at the start of the season nobody had us in their top four. But the reality is that now … it’s going to be a real big fight. Let’s not forget it’s a difficult window. The fact we missed the last window made it a bit more crucial for us. Now we have missed two windows.”
Lampard said Chelsea were unable to prevent Tariq Lamptey joining Brighton. The 19-year-old right-back was out of contract at the end of the season and rejected a new deal.
