NEVER WANTED CHELSEA TO BECOME “AN ACADEMY CLUB” FRANK LAMPARD ADMITS
Chelsea’s manager, Frank Lampard admits he never wanted wanted Chelsea to become “an academy club” due to spending the lavish spree of money which amounted to €200million.
Lampard was extensively ascribed to handing Chelsea best young talent an opportunity last season ,with players such as Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount blooming after being given regular minutes at Stamford Bridge , Although it’s still seen if the club’s academy youngsters continue that development amid increase competition for a first team place.
Chelsea have always been impeach of boarding young talent without a clear alley to the first team and Lampard’s policy was a welcome change ,now, the blues boss insist he “never wanted “ to become an academy club and says the focus should be on whether his side can compete for silverware on his side.
According to Frank Lampard, he stated he never wanted that “I love the nurturing last year but I never wanted us to become an academy club”and this was said to sky sports. “That story is great for five minutes and those debuts when you had them out are really nice. But then it moves very quickly to those asking if you can win games now .
“When you see the injection of players and what they can bring – they have all brought personality with them already – that should bring a level of competition that lifts the squad to new levels.
“My feeling and my senses suggest the players are feeling that, but we have to show that on the pitch, and it is my job to manage that and take us forward.
“Last year we spoke a lot about the transfer ban, and it was very relevant. To come fourth last year was a big achievement and it certainly felt that way with the competition around us. That’s done now, and now we are looking at whether we can get better, whether we can improve as a club?
“I’m a Chelsea fan and any fan should get excited about the type of players we have brought in. It’s something we had a long look at last year. The ban allowed us to look at areas we wanted to improve, the profile, type and age of player we wanted to improve us in the long term.
“It feels good because it has been work, it’s what you set out to do. Recruitment is a huge part of trying to be a club that is successful at the top of the Premier League.
“Liverpool and Manchester City are big examples of that, they have got big coaches and great players they have brought in at the right time. We’ve made positive moves, now it comes down to work and whether we can show it on the pitch.”
The host of new signings of Chelsea gets their premier league campaign underway this evening when they travel to South Coast to take on Brighton.
Story filled by: Martey Doris
