Chelsea fans can expect more from the London club in the transfer market as they look to bridge the gap with Liverpool and Manchester City next season, manager Frank Lampard has said.
Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup final with an impressive 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday evening and have sealed deals for Morocco winger Hakim Ziyech and Germany forward Timo Werner. They are also linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz as they rebuild the squad following a close-season transfer ban last year.
Lampard’s side are third in the Premier League with 63 points, 30 points adrift of champions Liverpool, but can seal a Champions League berth by winning their two remaining league games.
With an FA Cup final against Arsenal on the horizon, Lampard believes Chelsea have a lot to look forward to.
“With what we do in the summer, there will be more to come,” Lampard said. “We want to win the final. We want to close the gap.” “We are working towards something. It doesn’t come easy. We have seen that with other teams in recent years. It is step by step. We have shown lots of good stuff this year.
“Three games won’t define the progress we have made but we are at the business end.”
Meanwhile, former England striker Alan Shearer says United should replace goalkeeper David de Gea with Dean Henderson next season, after the Spaniard’s disappointing display in the loss to Chelsea.
De Gea, 29, was at fault for Olivier Giroud’s opener late in the first half and then allowed Mason Mount’s shot to squirm through him and into the net after the restart.
A string of errors from De Gea have prompted calls for him to be replaced as first choice by Henderson, who is drawing praise for his showings on loan at Sheffield United.
“If the goalkeeper makes one mistake, or possibly two, you think you should stick with him,” former Newcastle United striker Shearer told the BBC.
“But it keeps happening. I think you only bring Dean Henderson back to Manchester United as the No. 1, or you keep him where he is to keep gaining experience. I think that time has come.”
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described De Gea as mentally strong after the game, but former club defender Phil Neville said the keeper was low on confidence.
“He’s unrecognisable from the goalkeeper that won (club) player of the year four years out of five years. He’s making mistakes. A confident, assured, on-form De Gea saves all three (goals),” Neville said.
“If I was Solskjaer, then I would be worried because of his performance levels. They’ve dipped and his inconsistency is costing United games.
“I wouldn’t leave him out yet. His credentials are still up there with the best in the world. He’s just lost all his confidence.”
