Frank Lampard warns Chelsea ‘not living in the real world’ if they expect immediate results from expensive summer acquisitions, and calls for a backlash against Man City after being ‘kicked to the ground’ over Christmas
- Frank Lampard insisted that Chelsea’s summer purchases will take more time to adjust
- Timo Werner and Kai Havertz haven’t impressed since they came in the summer
- Lampard said some “don’t live in the real world,” but expect immediate success
- He also compared the German duo to former stars Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard
Frank Lampard has insisted that Chelsea’s new summer acquisitions Timo Werner and Kai Havertz need more time to establish themselves in the Premier League.
The German pair were Lampard’s two most notable additions to his summer spending spell, with Werner taking £ 47 million from RB Leipzig and Havertz for an initial fee of £ 62 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite their expensive transfer fee, neither of them have flourished in the Premier League as we go into the mid-season.
Frank Lampard has insisted that Chelsea’s new summer acquisitions will need more time to settle
Kai Havertz (left) and Timo Werner (right) have not impressed since joining Chelsea
Werner has only scored four goals this season as leader of the Blues, while playmaker Havertz has only one goal and assists.
After a defeat to Arsenal and a draw to Aston Villa, Lampard once again defends his summer acquisitions, claiming that everyone expects them to perform at their best right away ‘not living in the real world’.
He told Sky Sports, ‘If you think you’re going to be consistent this year just because you’ve brought in new players to settle for, and we still have the young players who play against tough teams in the Premier League every week . then you don’t live in the real world. ‘
“The real world has kicked us in the chest during a busy period for the past two or three weeks and we need to show that we are stronger and get through it.”
Werner scored just four goals in the lead for the Blues this season
After a transfer ban the previous season for violating financial fair play rules, the club welcomed a slew of expensive arrivals at Stamford Bridge when they signed Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy with big bucks.
However, Werner and Havertz have come under the most criticism for underperforming, but Lampard compared the German duo to some of Chelsea’s previous overseas acquisitions, such as Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard.
The Chelsea boss explained that some of the top flight’s best players needed time to find their niche after coming out of a foreign league and insisted that they reap the fruits of their talents in time.
‘Didier in the first year certainly didn’t produce the numbers he was throughout his career or had the huge impact, he was still very good,’ he continued.
Playmaker Havertz only has one goal and assist and really struggles to impress at the club
‘Eden Hazard, I was here for his freshman year. A hugely talented player, who comes in to adapt and within two or three seasons he graces the Premier League at the top, sometimes scoring 50% of our goals.
‘You look at Thierry Henry, Kevin de Bruyne, (Mohamed) Salah, stories everywhere. The spotlight in the modern age, with social media, everyone expects it now, all the variables around it.
‘At the moment we have to put that aside, have patience and we are also doing well. The team is improving. I’ve always believed in hard work and if you have the talent like these guys they should just stick with it. ‘
Despite a brilliant start to the season under Lampard, Chelsea are now seven points behind league leaders Liverpool in the run-up to Sunday’s clash with Manchester City.