Chelsea have been a breath of fresh air this season under the watchful eye of Frank Lampard. The former Blues midfielder, who spent 13 years as a player at Stamford Bridge, has built an exciting young squad in west London consisting of an array of world-class British talent. The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James are all flourishing having been granted more responsibility under ‘Super Frank’.
The Blues are currently 4th in the Premier League and into the last-16 of the Champions League, where they’ll battle Bayern Munich for a space in the quarter-finals next February. To summarise, things are going well for Chelsea at the moment, much to the surprise of many who wrote the youthful west Londoners off prior to the season starting.
A transfer ban imposed at the start of the year meant that Lampard was unable to strengthen his squad in the summer but in January that ban will be lifted, allowing the ex-England international the chance to add more talent to his rapidly-progressing squad. So, who could Lampard sign next year?
Below, we’ve analysed 5 players the club could turn their attention to in 2020. In keeping with the club’s current homegrown theme which seems to be working so well for them this season, each player in this list is British and under the age of 28. Be sure to let us know your thoughts by Tweeting us @BettingDirector.
Jack Grealish
England Under-21 international Jack Grealish has been Aston Villa’s standout performer this season, after previously taking the Championship by storm. The Villans skipper has scored four goals and laid off four assists in the league this time out, which has led to speculation surrounding his future at the West Midlands club.
Tottenham have previously been linked with the 24-year-old but it is Manchester United who are now tipped to sign him. However, Chelsea should think about making a move for the highly-rated playmaker, who can operate to the left of an attacking midfield-three for the Blues, potentially alongside Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi or Christian Pulisic.
Grealish has an exceptionally bright future ahead of him and would only get better working under a manager like Frank Lampard, who continues to show that he can get the best out of young homegrown talent. With all due respect, it is clear that he is outgrowing Aston Villa and now deserves the opportunity to test himself at a huge club competing for silverware in both the league and in Europe. Chelsea could be a great fit.
Callum Wilson
The oldest player on our list, striker Callum Wilson is 27 and well in his prime as a footballer. Realistically, if the Bournemouth front man is going to take his career to the next level, it will have to be next year as few clubs will be willing to take a risk on a player over aged 28+. Tammy Abraham has rightfully claimed the starting striker berth after taking to Premier League life seamlessly this season, though top-quality back-up is required if the Blues want to stake a serious challenge for the league title next season.
Wilson signed a contract extension at The Vitality in the summer which means that his current deal with the Dorset outfit now runs until 2023. This could prove to be a stumbling block for Chelsea if they do decide to make a move for Wilson, as Bournemouth would probably value their prized asset at around £40m in today’s market. With that said, the England international is now a proven top-flight striker with plenty of experience – something that would be of great benefit to Frank Lampard, especially if he loses Olivier Giroud in 2020.
Eberechi Eze
Bit of a wildcard, this one. QPR midfielder Eberechi Eze is absolutely flying this season, notching nine goals and four assists in the Championship. The 21-year-old is a really exciting young British prospect who progressed through the youth team ranks at Millwall before joining the R’s in 2016. Having spent a brief spell away from Loftus Road on loan with Wycombe in 2017-18, Eze gained valuable first-team experience and is now proving his worth in the country’s second-tier.
He would be an excellent fit for Chelsea and though it would take time for him to break in to Frank Lampard’s first-team on a regular basis, would definitely be a huge asset to the Blues in the future. Eze is a total star who will only improve as time goes on – Chelsea would be sensible to snap him up while they could still get him for a relatively cheap price.
Ben Chilwell
Chelsea have both Marcos Alonso and Emerson available to them at left-back this season, and while both possess great individual qualities, you would not put them in the ‘world class’ bracket, would you? Leicester and England’s Ben Chilwell, on the other hand, is rapidly emerging as one of the best left-backs in world football right now and would add a vast amount of quality to Lampard’s current crop. Still only 22, Chilwell has a huge future ahead of him and would certainly prosper at Stamford Bridge.
However, with his current side flying high near the top of the table at the moment, it remains to be seen whether or not Chilwell would be open to a move away from his boyhood club. Indeed, with utmost respect, Chelsea do represent something bigger than Leicester – despite the Foxes currently taking the Premier League by storm under Brendan Rodgers – and looking to the future, it would definitely be the correct move for him. The Blues need reinforcements in defence, starting at left-back; Chilwell is the ideal candidate to fill that position. He wouldn’t come cheap, mind, with Leicester set to value their star left-back at around £70m.
| Tuesday – 12.00pm | Odds | Bets |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Transfer Betting Odds | ||
| Ben Chilwell to sign for Chelsea Best Bet | 2/1 |  |
Odds correct as of 2019-12-17 12:34:30
Jadon Sancho
One of the most exciting footballers in the world right now, Borussia Dortmund’s assist-king Jadon Sancho is wanted by pretty much everyone at the moment. Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been mooted as the 19-year-old’s next club, but it is Chelsea who are currently favourites to sign the youngster. After becoming disheartened with the lack of progression at former club Manchester City, Sancho decided that a left-field switch to the Bundesliga with Dortmund was the best option for him and his career – he wasn’t wrong.
Fast-forward two-and-a-half years and the teenager is now a global superstar and a regular starter for England. He has scored 25 goals and provided 35 assists since joining the Bundesliga giants in 2017, and would massively strengthen Chelsea’s attack if he did make the switch to west London. Sancho is young, British and eager to progress, making Stamford Bridge the perfect destination for him in 2020 – something I never thought I’d write. Roman Abramovich would have to break the bank to bring Sancho in – likely parting with north of £100m – but, if one man has the financial capability to afford him, it’s Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner.
| Tuesday – 12.00pm | Odds | Bets |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Transfer Betting Odds | ||
| Jadon Sancho to sign for Chelsea Best Bet | 6/1 |  |
Odds correct as of 2019-12-17 12:33:15