According to the Daily Mail, as cited by TalkSport, Chelsea are looking to offload Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko in the summer transfer window, despite the transfer embargo that they have at present. As per the report, the midfield duo failed to impress current manager Frank Lampard during the pre-season as the Blues lifted the Rakuten Cup in Japan. The former England international (Lampard) has enough options within his ranks and can easily let go of these stars, as reports confirm.
Both the players came into the side after winning major honours with their former sides respectively. While Drinkwater made a name for himself in the midfield for Leicester City during their Premier League triumph in the 2015/16 season, Bakayoko was the mainstay in the middle of the pitch for Monaco during their scintillating run in both the domestic as well as European campaigns during the 2016/17 season.
However, since their move to Stamford Bridge, they have failed miserably to impress. While the Englishman had stayed with the team and gone onto make just 23 appearances for the Blues, Bakayoko was sent on loan to play in the Serie A for AC Milan in the last term.
The report also states that Bakayoko might be on his way to join Everton as they are eyeing a replacement for their midfield maestro Idrissa Gana Gueye, who is set to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer. As far as Lampard is concerned, it seems that the former Chelsea star turned manager is satiated with the midfield options he has at his disposal and wants to get rid of the likes of Drinkwater and Bakayoko. Chelsea have Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and N’Golo Kante to implement in the middle of the pitch. Ruben Loftus Cheek, however, is yet to return from injury.
The Blues will not be able to spend any more money at present (because of the ban), though they have a huge contingent of youngsters at their disposal. The former Derby county main-man will want to utilize their services, as he looks to build the team around some of the younger talents and let go of the older unwanted ones.
If the Blues can utilize the right combination of experienced and young talents amongst their ranks, they will be able to make an impact in the upcoming term and get the job done. However, if they fail to use them properly, then things can get really complicated and Lampard’s worst night may come true in the long-run.
A lot of Pundits had suggested that the Englishman was still not ready for the job at Stamford Bridge and should have waited before he took the job. However, both the club’s management and the owner were not really interested and Lampard took the job, post the Sarri era. The fact that Eden Hazard’s presence in the team will now be missed will be a major factor as well and it will be interesting to see how things develop from here on, with the manager feeling that these two stars are of no use to him now anymore.
