Former Blues boss Frank Lampard could be fancying taking two of his former stars at Chelsea on a new journey at his touted new club, whispered to be Crystal Palace.
While many are convinced that Roy Hodgson has done a better job than Frank de Boer in managing Palace, the club still never managed to make it to the Top 10 in the English Premier League under his leadership for the last three consecutive seasons and this has led to former Chelsea boss Lampard emerging as the frontrunner to take over Hodgson’s place at Crystal Palace, according to The Telegraph.
Crystal Palace have been allegedly searching for a new manager for months now, and the club has been seriously considering signing Lampard, the report added.
More interestingly, the report specified that the Eagles currently have about 11 players approaching the end of their contracts this summer, further adding that Palace is planning a £50 million summer transfer overhaul seeking to land four or five new signings and several “high-profile” loan players.
Also of note is that Lampard could play a vital role in Palace’s plans, having established a good relationship with the Blues and, if the report holds true, the three-time Premier League champion is likely to raid his former Stamford Bridge roost for former players Billy Gilmour and Tammy Abraham, whose futures at Stamford Bridge have become uncertain.
Talented youngster Gilmour has yet to make any significant contribution to Chelsea under new Blues manager Thomas Tuchel and has been deemed a fringe player under the German tactician.
On the other hand, Abraham was a linchpin striker during Lampard’s time with the Blues but is slowly allegedly falling out of Tuchel’s pecking order in recent times, despite the latter recently addressing Abraham’s situation and reduced playing time, giving his assurance that there’s nothing to worry about.
The former PSG boss hopes Abraham doesn’t get distracted by rumors swirling that he is becoming irrelevant to the club.
“I think everyone is concerned when they are not in the squad,” Tuchel commented on Abraham’s situation in a media conference.
“It’s never an easy decision for me. We sometimes spend an hour after the last training session about which decisions to take, which players we have to leave at home. It’s thin margins that decide.”
“Tammy [Abraham] has had these decisions a few times now against him, which are never personal,” he continued.
“This is life sometimes for a player at Chelsea. I hope he doesn’t get lost in too many thoughts. He knows from me that he doesn’t have to be too concerned or have too many thoughts about his situation.”