One of the most active Premier League sides in the short transfer window after the season 2019/2020 Chelsea added no less than six players in the first team, spending a hefty £200M in the process. The spending was long overdue, though, with Chelsea suffering from a transfer ban for the past couple of transfer windows. While Frank Lampard managed well in his first season in charge, taking Chelsea to the Champions League from the fourth spot in the Prem, the expectations are a lot higher this season.
The young players proved their worth last season, but the likes of Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are in for some serious competition this time around. In the offense, Lampard acquired a German duo Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, both of whom are likely to be regular starters, Havertz manning the attacking central midfielder position and Werner taking on the no. 9 role. In the midfield, Lampard looked to replace Arsenal-bound Willian and managed to snap up Morocco international Hakim Ziyech from Ajax, who will slot in the right winger or midfielder role nicely. Defensively the moves were perhaps less flashy, although adding arguably the best English left back Ben Chilwell from Leicester might prove to be the best move in the window – if Chilwell will return from his injury as expected.
Not only did Lampard splash the cash in the transfer market, but attracted interest from some free agents as well. The young Chelsea squad definitely lacked some leadership and experience, especially after the departure of Willian – and to some extent Pedro as well. Lampard swiftly addressed the need and acquired 35-year-old Thiago Silva, a long-standing captain of Brazilian national team before the emergence of Neymar, for free from PSG.
To complement the young core of his team, Lampard also snatched up another free agent, promising center back Malang Sarr from Nice to compete with Antonio Rüdiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Silva. If Chelsea’s roster was lacking some depth last season, now it is loaded of quality for every position.
With Lampard taking the team to Champions League already last season, the bar is set a lot higher this season. They have to challenge Liverpool and the Manchester clubs for the title – there’s some £200M reasons for it.
