Frank Lampard
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is ready to lower his wage demands to help push through a move to Inter. The Italian giants have been holding talks with Chelsea in an effort to find common ground, with Giroud ready to swap Stamford Bridge for the San Siro. However, despite Chelsea being willing to sell, there is no agreement between the two clubs, with distance between their respective valuations of the striker.
The striker is prepared to accept €1m less over the course of a two-and-a-half-year contract, in an effort to help the transfer go through. Giroud wants to link up with Antonio Conte at Inter and play his part in the Nerazzurri’s title push.
Christian Pulisic admits he found it tough to live up to expectations during the early months of his Chelsea career but is confident of being a success at Stamford Bridge. It is a little over a year since the United States international signed for Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in a £58 million (€64m/$73m) deal.
There were high expectations placed on the 21-year-old’s shoulders upon his return, not least because many people saw him as the natural successor to the departing Eden Hazard. He struggled for consistency during the early weeks of his Blues career though, starting just one Carabao Cup game between late August and mid-October. Pulisic acknowledges that it took him some time to adjust to life in English football, but insists he never expected to hit the ground running straight away and is proud of the way he played through that difficult early spell.
Christian Pulisic said “You know, everyone says I’m going to go into the Premier League, it’s a big change, it’s tough. It’s a league where there’s definitely a lot of games, a lot of stuff going on, and it wasn’t easy for me at the beginning, of course”
ANTONIO CONTE will receive an extra £85,000 from Chelsea in compensation after an employment tribunal found the Italian was unfairly sacked by the Blues. Soon after leading Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup final, Conte was axed as boss in July 2018 after the start of pre-season training and Judge Andrew Glennie said: ‘The complaint of unfair dismissal is well founded.’ Chelsea’s accounts recently showed that Conte’s exit, along with his backroom team and associated legal fees, had cost the Blues £26.6million.
Frank Lampard wants his Chelsea players to start being more clinical in front of goal following a slump in their home form. Chelsea can take next step in their league position and points won if they can convert shots and chances created to goals.
Frank Lampard has challenged Chelsea to capitalise on the quality of academy graduate Reece James’ crossing. The 19-year-old right-back shone as Chelsea beat Burnley 3-0 on Saturday, whipping a stunning cross for Tammy Abraham’s goal which added to Jorginho’s penalty, before Callum Hudson-Odoi sealed victory. James has forced his way into Chelsea’s starting XI and Lampard said: ‘He’s got a great, great delivery of cross and much more than that too.
Frank Lampard said “He’s good on the ball and he’s physically so good as well, and he’s so young, so this is just the start for him. The way I want us to play, the full-backs are going to be huge for us. If I want to get it right they have to join in and be an attacking threat. He’s a big weapon that we have to use well. We have to be ready to anticipate and get across people and make goals like we did with the Tammy one today.”
Frank Lampard has showered praise on Chelsea’s Ross Barkley after his fine performance against Burnley, stating that the midfielder – who had made headlines lately with off-field issues – is just as important to the squad as the likes of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Frank Lampard says he is unwilling to let Pedro go in January despite his chances in the first-team becoming increasingly infrequent as the Premier League season goes on. Pedro has flirted with the idea of moving back to his former club Barcelona, while MLS clubs New York City FC, which is Manchester City’s sister club, and Inter Miami, which David Beckham co-owns, are also exploring the option to sign him. The 32-year-old has made just 11 appearances this season and is in the final six months of his Chelsea contract, allowing him to talk to clubs who want to sign him on a free transfer in the summer. Still, Lampard is keen to keep hold of Pedro, amid injury concerns around Christian Pulisic.
Frank Lampard said “He is part of my plans, I started the season and he was in my team, and then, unfortunately, he got injured at Norwich before the game, and I had to make a change. Then he was out for a while, and I do have competition in that area,” Lampard told reporters at Cobham Training Centre. He has had bits here and there, I know he wants more games, I get that. But he certainly has something that he can contribute here with his experience and his ability to break lines and run behind people and maybe get those goals in and around the box.”
