Chelsea made to wait on key transfer target as Lampard looks to bolster fragile defence

Chelsea fans had plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the start of this season, with the club’s big-money spending spree promising to provide firepower up front as well as making their defence more robust. 

With arguably the club’s greatest ever servant at the helm, this campaign promised to be a good one for Blues fans, whilst the rest of the Premier League watched on to see how the club’s new signings performed in Lampard’s new look side.

For all of the hype surrounding Chelsea’s expensive new attackers, notably their German contingent of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, it was two more modest signings that made the biggest impression.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and veteran centre-back Thiago Silva provided Lampard’s side with defensive solidity that had been desperately lacking in the Englishman’s first season in charge.

The Senegalese ‘keeper kept nine clean sheets in his first 12 games in West London, whilst his Brazilian teammate made a notable impact on the rest of the Blues’ backline.

Since the middle of December, however, the Blues have struggled for form and the defensive solidity that had buoyed their entire season seems to have disappeared almost entirely, with the club lingering in eighth after six defeats in eight games.

Despite their expensive summer, Lampard may be persuaded to dip into the transfer market once again to bolster his defence ahead of a crucial race for a top-four finish.

However, one of their prime targets, Dayot Upamecano, looks unlikely to be leaving RB Leipzig this month after manager Julian Nagelsmann stated that the defender will remain at the club until the summer.

Upamecano has made a name fo himself in Germany.

The German manager recently told ESPN (as quoted on football.london) that “He will be here for the season. I’m sure about that. As for the future, I’m not sure.”

According to Goal, Upamecano is not willing to make a decision on his future until the summer, opting instead to concentrate on Leipzig’s season before making any decisions.

If the Frenchman were to move on, it’s claimed that Chelsea are likely to have to fend off competition from Bayern Munich, Liverpool and a host of other European giants if they are to secure his signature.