Lampard: Chelsea must focus on their own project

Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard believes the club must focus on their own project, and ignore outside opinion.

The Blues have struggled this season despite investing an eye-watering amount of money on players in the last two transfer windows, sitting in 11th place in the Premier League after 30 games.

Chelsea face Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, who are four places above them, and the Seagulls have continued to thrive under boss Roberto De Zerbi ever since the London club took their previous head coach, Graham Potter, from them in September.

“I think Brighton is a fantastic model. You can track their last five, six, seven years and see good progression… and that’s their path,” Lampard said at a press conference on Friday.

“Chelsea’s path is a different one, a club that’s been hugely successful for a long period of time. Maybe a club where there is different transition of ownership, players that have left, bringing in players for the future.

“You can look around and see models everywhere, the work Arsenal have done and everyone was judging them, the owner and manager, now it’s a fantastic model.

“You have to understand when you’re in a project, there are moments you have to dig in… I don’t think it’s important for us to focus on opinion.”

Focused on #CheBha. pic.twitter.com/e2eVHmHT3M

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 13, 2023

Lampard confirmed he will be without Kalidou Koulibaly for the next few games after the defender suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday’s 2-0 first-leg defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League quarter-finals.

“He won’t be available for either game [Brighton or the second leg v Madrid]. It’s a hamstring injury, so it’ll be a matter of weeks rather than days,” he said.

Reports have suggested the club has triggered a clause in the contract of midfielder Enzo Fernandez to add another year to his already lengthy eight-year deal, in order to help spread their costs out further.

The World Cup winner joined Chelsea for a club record fee of £106.8m (€121m) in January, and Lampard has been impressed.

“I can’t confirm [the contract story] because I don’t know, actually, I’ve got enough on my plate without dissecting everyone’s contracts at the club,” he said. “The only thing I’ll say is that, working with Enzo, he’s been a standout character and player for me in this last week in terms of attitude and quality.

“Even though he’s only been here a short time I think he’s a fantastic player for this club going forward, and exactly the kind of profile we’re talking about [to take Chelsea forward].”