The first long-term Chelsea project?

On July 4th 2019, Chelsea appointed Frank Lampard as their manager, who replaced Maurizio Sarri. At the time, the choice did not check any boxes generally associated with Chelsea. Although Chelsea adopts an infamous revolving door policy, the names that have adorned the sidelines at the Bridge are those in the elite rung of management.

Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and the likes are some of the greatest and most successful managers in European history. So, Lampard’s appointment after just one relatively successful season at the Championship seemed unusual and very unlike the normal way of things at Chelsea.

At Derby County, Lampard had turned a few heads with the brand of football he had put into play. He ran a very high-tempo system which involved great emphasis on a high-pressing motor.

His reliance on youth, particularly his incorporation of Mason Mount, Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori and Jayden Bogle, pointed at his confidence in youngsters and his belief in the “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough” philosophy.

His defeat of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United was the single most spectacular moment of his managerial stint at Derby, and hinted at his tactical nous in outplaying a team set up by one of the greatest managers in the game. Even beyond this, in the longer run, Derby were all set for a playoff finish. It was around the end of the season that there were rumours of the Chelsea hierarchy being dissatisfied with Sarri’s approach.

Chelsea had also incurred a transfer ban which prevented them from making any signings for two transfer windows. Increasing frustration with “Sarriball”, and about the brand of football being played, resulted in turmoil at the club and at the end of the season, despite a top-4 finish and the Europa League title, led Chelsea and Sarri to part ways.

Chelsea were in a precarious situation. They were losing their MVP, Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. They did not have the opportunity to make any reinforcements for a period of two transfer windows, and they were clearly not in the same league as Liverpool or Manchester City in the race for a Premier League title.

All these pointed at an opportunity to rebuild, something Chelsea had attempted once previously and failed miraculously with Andres Villas-Boas. But this time, the management took a radically different path.

Lampard was appointed as the manager with former Blues Jody Morris and Eddie Newton appointed as his coaching personnel, Petr Cech was appointed as the technical and performance advisor, Claude Makelele was appointed as a youth coach and technical mentor, Joe Cole, Henrique Hilario and Ashley Cole were appointed at various coaching roles and Didier Drogba was roped in as an ambassador. The management were going the Bayern way and ensuring that the club DNA was maintained in the hierarchy.

Chelsea academy to the fore

Lampard’s appointment clashing with the transfer ban, and with a few key players crossing the 30-year mark in age, meant that one thing was a given: Chelsea’s famous academy was going to be utilised.

Having faced a lot of ridicule in recent years for sending out whole squad numbers of players out on loan, this was the perfect situation for the Chelsea academy graduates sticking around in the first team.

Prodigious youngsters Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Billy Gilmour, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori had been knocking on the door for fringe roles in the squad, but now looked primed for involvement with the first team.

With a legend of English football facing his managerial debut in the Premier League, and with a bunch of homegrown talent on the brink of their breakout season, there was genuine hype surrounding Chelsea for the first time since Antonio Conte led them to a title charge with his tactical masterclass. At the time the season was forced to stop following the COVID-19 pandemic, Chelsea were sitting on a Champions League spot, and, as promised, their youngsters had gotten plenty of playing time and had not disappointed at all.

Exciting signings

All the negatives surrounding the immaturity of players and management existed, sure, but the way the management had lined itself up goes to show that this was not a short-term project. Further, Chelsea announced the signing of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and the signing of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig - two exciting attacking options who shall provide Chelsea a much needed boost in attack.

What connects these two players is that they both were part of two systems with similar pressing mentality to that of Lampard’s Chelsea, suggesting that the board made these two signings on Lampard’s word. With Chelsea also being heavily linked to Ben Chilwell of Leicester City and Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen in recent weeks, all players under the age of 25 (including Werner), it definitely seems like Chelsea are building a team for their young manager that can challenge for the title in a couple of years, for a sustained period.

Werner is a statement signing.

With older players like David Luiz (already at Arsenal), Willian and Pedro slowly being phased out of the team, the promise for fresh opportunity lingers at the Chelsea camp, if the performances till date under Lampard and the transfer policy are anything to go by, exciting times lie ahead at the Bridge, which has been calling out loud for a rebuild since the heydays of the gaffer himself.