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Tag: Frank Lampard

  • Transfer: Chelsea move for Bayern’s David Alaba

    Premier League side Chelsea are keen on a £60m move for Bayern Munich defender, David Alaba, according to the Sunday Mirror.

    Blues boss, Frank Lampard, is looking to strengthen the left side of his defence in the January transfer window.

    Lampard has been left unimpressed by his options in Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso.

    Alaba, 27, has less than two years remaining on his deal with Bayern and Chelsea are ready to tempt him to move to England.

    Alaba has made over 360 appearances for Bayern and is one of the most versatile members of their squad, having been played at left-back and in central defence this season.

    Speaking about his future last month, the Austrian said: “I can imagine both: staying here or taking a different route.

    “At the moment, however, we have goals here and I want to achieve them with Bayern Munich.”

  • Lampard blast former mentor for criticizing Chelsea player

    Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has defended Antonio Rudiger after he was criticised for his part in Tottenham forward Son Heung-min’s red card on Sunday.

    Spurs manager Jose Mourinho was unhappy with the Blues defender’s reaction to Son’s challenge in Chelsea’s 2-0 win.

    Lampard said it was “disappointing” to question Rudiger’s integrity while an investigation into alleged racial abuse directed at the German is ongoing.

    “I do defend Toni firmly on it,” said Lampard.

    Tottenham have appealed against the red card shown to Son in the second half after VAR ruled he had kicked out at Rudiger.

    However, Mourinho thinks it should be Rudiger’s reaction to Son’s challenge that is coming under scrutiny, and not Son’s action.

    “I’m not speaking about the racism incident, this is another thing. I am speaking about that incident, the red card,” he said on Monday.

    “In the Premier League I love there is no space also for what Rudiger did. Stand up and play man. This is the Premier League.”

    Lampard responded: “With Toni, in this incident when he’s having to post after the game about something we know is a huge deal [racism], I think to question his integrity in that time is disappointing for sure.

    “Pretty universally, certainly what I heard in the commentary and the post-match reflection was that the Son incident was a red card.

    “It wasn’t brutal but it was instinctive that warrants a red card in the modern day. It was pretty clear that was the case. I wouldn’t question Toni’s integrity on that.”

  • Lampard becomes master over Mourinho in league win

    Chelsea manager Frank Lampard out-manouevred his one-time mentor Jose Mourinho – but a comfortable win at Tottenham was overshadowed by alleged racist behaviour aimed at visiting defender Antonio Rudiger.

    Rudiger was involved in the second-half incident that saw Tottenham’s Son Heung-min sent off.

    The striker was dismissed, following a video assistant referee review, for raising his boot in a clash with the German centre-back near the touchline.

    Shortly afterwards, Rudiger, 26, appeared to gesticulate that he had received racist abuse from Spurs fans.

    Chelsea drew the incident to the attention of referee Anthony Taylor and three subsequent announcements were made over the public address system warning that racist behaviour among spectators was interfering with the game.

    The match was also held up when objects were thrown towards Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, capping a miserable afternoon for Spurs and Mourinho against his former club.

    It marred an outstanding Chelsea display that halted their recent slide, with the game effectively won inside the first 45 minutes courtesy of Willian’s superb curling finish and a penalty from the Brazilian awarded by VAR after Spurs keeper Paulo Gazzaniga had flattened Marcos Alonso.

    Chelsea’s victory strengthened their grip on fourth place and left them four points above fifth-placed Sheffield United. Spurs remain in seventh place – six points adrift.

  • Transfer: Lampard set to sign Samuel Chukwueze

    Villarreal winger, Samuel Chukwueze, is being linked with a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window.

    The UK Telegraph reports that Frank Lampard has a transfer budget of £150million to spend in the winter market and is eyeing offensive players.

    Chukwueze is believed to be on the list of wingers being targeted by Lampard.

    Others are Borrussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha and Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey.

    Chukwueze, who has a release clause of €63million, was close to moving to the Premier League in 2017 to play for Arsenal before he joined Villarreal.

    He has scored 11 career goals in 54 appearances for Villarreal’s first team and has provided five assists.

  • Michael Ballack returns to Chelsea

    Michael Ballack returns to Chelsea

    Michael Ballack has become the latest of Frank Lampard’s former Chelsea team-mate to be called on for advice by the Blues’ boss.

    The former Germany captain shared images of his visit to the Cobham training ground on Instagram on Saturday.

    Ballack oversaw training and had a meeting with Lampard and his technical adviser, Petr Cech.

    Cech and the two midfielders shared the Stamford Bridge dressing room for four years, winning the 2009/2010 Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final together.

    Lampard is preparing his side for a league fixure at Southampton on Sunday.

    They currently sit ninth on the Premier League table

  • Lampard reacts to Abraham, Tomori’s England call-up

    Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard has expressed happiness after England handed Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori international call-ups.

    England manager, Gareth Southgate, has called up Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori, for their Euro 2020 qualifying games against Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

    Abraham and Tomori, who are also eligible to play for Nigeria, have been in impressive form for the Blues this season.

    If they accept the invitation and eventually feature in any of the matches, they will not be able to represent the Super Eagles again.

    “I’m delighted Tammy Abraham is back in the England squad. He has all the attributes to go there and be successful,” Lampard told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Southampton on Sunday.

    “It will be another step for him and a good challenge for Tammy.”

    Lampard added: “Fikayo Tomori deserves it. He has been a dream to work with day in, day out for the last 15 months or so.

    “It’s a great step up and it’s in his hands to go there and show what he shows us every day.”

  • EPL: Chelsea face double injury blow

    Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has confirmed that defenders, Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen will be out of action until next month.

    Emerson sustained a thigh injury in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League.

    The Italian left-back was joined on the treatment table by Christensen after the Danish centre-back suffered a knee problem against the UEFA Champions League winners.

    “Emerson now won’t be back until the other side of the international break (during mid-October),” Lampard told a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third round clash against Grimsby Town at Stamford Bridge.

    “It will be a few weeks because it is the reoccurrence of an injury so we have to be a bit careful with it.

    “Andreas is not too severe. Hopefully, he won’t be out for too long but I can’t give a timeframe.”

    This means Palmieri and Christensen will both miss Chelsea’s clash against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and Brighton in the Premier League this weekend.

  • EPL: VAR decision affected Chelsea – Lampard

    Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said his team deserved “at least a point” against Liverpool and believes the VAR decision to deny them a goal had a significant effect on his team.

    Cesar Azpilicueta had a goal disallowed by VAR for an offside call on Mason Mount in the build-up to what would have cancelled out Trent Alexander-Arnold’s opener in the club’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

    Instead, the Reds doubled their lead through Roberto Firmino, before N’Golo Kante pulled one back in the 71st minute.

    Lampard told talkSPORT: “It’s here to stay, so it’s frustrating. It definitely kills the moment, that’s for sure.

    “People pay their money and they want to celebrate, the players want to celebrate and now, we’re all going to have to try to wait a moment. It’s difficult.

    “I saw the Tottenham game yesterday [where VAR disallowed a Serge Aurier goal against Leicester], and it’s a shame when you’re talking about tough decisions.

    “But we have to accept it, it’s here, it’s not going anywhere, I just hope some go in our favour very soon.”

  • EPL: Chelsea’s Kante out as Rudiger returns against Wolves

    EPL: Chelsea’s Kante out as Rudiger returns against Wolves

    Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante will miss the Blues trip to Wolves on Saturday and remains a doubt for matches against Valencia and Liverpool next week.

    Kante missed both of France’s fixtures during the international break with an ankle injury and a return against Wolves is “too soon”, manager Frank Lampard confirmed on Friday.

    Chelsea play Valencia in their opening Champions League match on Tuesday, before hosting Liverpool next Sunday.

    “I don’t want to jump the gun because we’re waiting for improvement to fill that final step to get him to where we want him to be on the pitch again,” Lampard said. “But hopefully that will be in a week or so.”

    Mateo Kovacic (Achilles) and Pedro (hamstring) are fit to play against Wolves, while Antonio Rudiger will be available after recovering from a knee injury that ended last season prematurely for the defender.

    Chelsea have conceded nine goals in their four Premier League matches this season, with only Norwich having a worse record.

    “It’s a choice for myself, but he will have an important role,” said Lampard, when asked if Rudiger would go straight into Chelsea’s defence. “We have missed him as we have with a few more front-line players.

    “I don’t want a young team for the sake of it. He can be influential. He is ready to take on those roles.”

  • Frank Lampard must deliver at Chelsea – Luiz

    David Luiz has described Frank Lampard as a Chelsea legend but acknowledged he must deliver in his new role as head coach.
    Lampard is the club’s all-time goalscorer with 211 goals and won 11 trophies during his illustrious playing career at Stamford Bridge.
    But Luiz says he must now lead Chelsea to glory off the pitch having done so on it.

    “If you keep winning titles, this is good. In the last years, we’ve changed coach but still won things,” said Luiz.
    “Now, we have a different coach with a new philosophy. But in the end it is the same thing: you play for a big club and a big club has to win.
    “Everyone knows Lamps is a legend. It was a pleasure to work with him as a player and it’s a pleasure to work with him as a coach now.
    “When you play with a player like Lamps, he is a leader anyway so he is still leading the team now in a different place.
    “He cannot run anymore and cannot score goals any more but he’s still a leader.

    Olivier Giroud scored twice as Chelsea beat St Patrick’s 4-0 to seal Frank Lampard’s first win in charge of the club.

     
    “The squad is good enough, with the experienced players, the talented players, the young players.
    “We just lost a big, big name, a legend of the club, in Eden Hazard but we have many players who can do the job.”