Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Frank Lampard makes transfer decision on eight Chelsea aces after first friendly
NEW Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is not wasting any time in the hotseat having already made a decision on the futures of eight stars.
Chelsea: Hislop names most important players for Lampard
The Blues legend arrived back at Stamford Bridge to replace Maurizio Sarri after just one year in senior management, having led Derby to the Championship play-off final.
With Chelsea under the restrictions of a transfer ban, it’s integral that the former England midfielder uses all the resources at hand.
Yet Lampard has already been forced to make a number of key decisions regarding his pre-season squad and the future of a number of players.
Chelsea have announced that their new boss has decided to send eight stars back to Cobham where they will “continue their preparations for the new season.”
Cobham-bound from Ireland are Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown, Lucas Piazon, Trevoh Chalobah, Dujon Sterling, Ike Ugbo, Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi.
It comes after Lampard drew his first match as Chelsea boss 1-1 against local side Bohemians in Dublin.
The decision suggests all eight of the players returning to Surrey will either be loaned out or sold this summer.
Chelsea have been back for training for less than a week under Lampard and the 41-year-old claimed after the match against Bohemians that they needed to work on their fitness.
“It was a tough game for us,” he told Chelsea’s official website.
“We haven’t been back for long and this was our first game after just a few days so there was a bit of pressure on the lads to work today.
“We’ve been working them very hard and we did the same this morning as well. I want to stretch them because that’s what pre-season is all about.
“We wanted to win obviously because you always do but it’s not about that at this point – it’s about individuals getting fit and pushing themselves to the limit.
“We were pleased with the outcome and I thought some of the performances, particularly from some of the young lads, were really good.”
Michy Batshuayi scored the first goal of the new era when he cooly slotted home inside the penalty box, before the Blues conceded an 89th-minute equaliser.
The Belgian is just one of a number of stars hoping for a fresh start to reignite their Chelsea career.
Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kurt Zouma are also in a similar position, while academy products Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori are all desperate for a chance to impress.