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Defence will be Lampard's priority in the upcoming transfer window

Frank Lampard will be a busy man in the January transfer window after a FIFA-imposed transfer ban was halved on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week.

Defence will be Lampards priority in the upcoming transfer window


Bengaluru, Dec. 10: Frank Lampard will be a busy man in the January transfer window after a FIFA-imposed transfer ban was halved on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week.

FIFA had imposed the transfer embargo on Chelsea back in last February due to rules breaches regarding the signing of young players. But now with the decision being reduced Chelsea will again be able to renew business in the upcoming January transfer market. The English manager has already admitted that his side is already working to improve the squad and rumour is that he will be provided with a transfer fund of as much as £150million.

Chelsea have had a fine start to the campaign, but lately, has experienced a tougher road. They are five points clear of fifth-place Manchester United and needed at least a draw with other conditions to qualify for the next stage of Champions League. But so far they have not faced many struggles but surely with the transfer ban being uplifted Lampard will look to strenghten his side.

Lampard has been utilising a large number of academy players at Stamford Bridge this season but with still a long season to go he now could be keen to sign some renowned faces.

The defence is understood to be the most sought after area and here are the two names who have been linked with Chelsea:

Nathan Ake

Lampard's most concerning area so far has been the backline with Blues often leaking goals unnecessarily. At the centre-back, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori have been the most commonly-used starters, but they have struggled at times, with the young academy defender's form suddenly dipping after a strong start to the campaign. Andreas Christensen has been another option but he too has endured some difficult moments. Antonio Rudiger, on the other hand, has not been a regular due to injury issues.

At such a moment, with the transfer ban being lifted Lampard could look to sign a fresh defensive face and the former Chelsea defender Nathan Ake could be the first name on the shopping list. Ake was one of the many Chelsea youth prospects who didn't have the opportunity to shine, eventually signing for Bournemouth permanently after a series of loan spells. The Dutch defender since then has been a regular starter in Eddie Howe's side and has emerged as one of the exciting young defenders in the league at the moment. Apparently Chelsea have a buy-back clause on him to re-sign him for £40m and given the current state of markets, it could be a bargain buy. Ake left Chelsea for regular gametime and if Lampard can convince him of regular minutes the deal could pretty much fall in place.

Ben Chilwell

The Blues are looking to strengthen at left-back also after the poor form of Marcos Alonso. The Spanish fullback has been left out of the team since the beginning of last month which has seen Palmieri and Azpilicueta filling in on the left side of the defence. But Lampard would favour investing in a new left-back instead than rely on any of his current or makeshift options. It has now led them to Chilwell who has been a key figure in Leicester's excellent start to the season under Brendan Rodgers with his form also earning him a regular starting spot in Gareth Southgate's England team.

But with Leicester mounting a title challenge they would have no intention of selling him and apparently will not entertain any offers from Chelsea for him in January. Leicester are in a strong negotiating position as Chilwell is tied to the club until 2024 having signed a contract extension in last October 2018 thus unlikely a move will fall in place. Lampard, however, could look to seal in other options then as some rumours regarding Valencia's left-back Jose Gaya has also recently surfaced.

Story first published: Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 18:28 [IST]
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