Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes that the club’s failure to bring in new signings in the January transfer market has left them as “underdogs” in the battle for Champions League qualification.
The Blues had their two-window transfer ban halved, meaning they could add to the squad for the remainder of the season, but the club failed to make the most of their opportunity in the winter transfer window.
The Chelsea boss wore a frustrated expression as he faced the media on Friday, confirming neither Dries Mertens nor Edinson Cavani that were the two targets for the club.
French striker Olivier Giroud, therefore, chose to remain at Stamford Bridge and Lampard pointed to the business at rival clubs to show the reason why Chelsea may slip behind in the race for the fourth place.
The Red Devils brought in Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo, while Tottenham Hotspur signed Gedson Fernandes and Steven Bergwijn to bolster their respective sides in the hunt for a top-four berth.
The 41-year-old Englishman also referenced the business done by eighth-placed Sheffield United, who spent a club-record transfer fee on Sander Berge as he told reporters, “I look at Manchester United signing a big, big player, a world-class player [Fernandes] in my opinion, And the teams around us, Sheffield United making fantastic signings. Chris Wilder’s job is incredible because he’s had years to work for that group and now they’re adding where he sees fit. Tottenham have signed a few and they’re not far behind us. And not only have they signed a few but a couple of players have left where the situation was they were towards the end of their contracts and maybe weren’t happy being at the club anymore. Sometimes that’s as important as bringing players in.”
