London (AFP) – Frank Lampard’s first season at Chelsea remains a work in progress but the emergence of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham means there are already significant positives to be drawn from the new era at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard – whose side face Sheffield United at home this weekend – promised to provide opportunities to young players when he returned to his old club this summer.
The former midfielder’s position was partly driven by the transfer embargo imposed on the club, but also a belief in the reserves of talent at in the club’s academy that have too often been overlooked by Lampard’s predecessors.
The fact that for too long John Terry was the last homegrown player to emerge through the ranks and establish himself as a first team regular was viewed of an indictment of recent Chelsea managers from Jose Mourinho through to Maurizio Sarri.
But if early season form is anything to go by, Mount and Abraham could be features of the Chelsea line-up for some time to come.
Mount has made a particularly striking start with the midfielder’s form earning him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the forthcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.
The 20-year-old has been at Chelsea since the age of six and having spent last season on loan with Lampard at Derby County in the Championship, his abilities are well known to the manager who has demonstrated great faith in the player by starting him in all three of Chelsea’s league games so far.
Mount has responded with goals in his last two games, and was joined on the scoresheet in last weekend’s 3-2 win at Norwich City by Abraham who struck his first two goals for the club at Carrow Road.
Abraham showed his potential by striking 37 league goals during Aston Villa’s promotion-winning season before returning to Chelsea this summer.
Even so, Lampard’s decision to start with the 21-year-old ahead of Olivier Giroud in the season opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford raised eyebrows.
But Abraham has demonstrated he is capable of competing with his more experienced team-mate for the main striker position on an equal footing and could join Mount in Southgate’s set-up if he maintains his progress.
The performances of the two players, together with those of Christian Pusilic, the 20-year-old USA midfielder signed for £58 million and then loaned back to Borussia Dortmund last January, has provided a lift at the start of Chelsea’s season.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/34aeUdp
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