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Football London
Football London
Sport
Josh Holland

Chelsea decision grants Frank Lampard £88m wish after failed Kylian Mbappe-link transfer

Chelsea has overseen a severe overhaul of the playing squad since Frank Lampard left the club in 2021. Only 15 players remain from Lampard's first spell in charge with a host of names arriving in the last year.

"Modern football has big squads and I understand Chelsea might be the top end of that," Lampard said on managing a big squad. "I remember being here before and I had lots of difficult decisions of really good players and good people that you have to tell, you're not involved this week.

"Part of the job is to try and manage that situation and make every player feel included. Maybe in the beginning, with it being a short term, that's a positive thing for me because everyone can have a clean slate as such, and show in training and be competitive in training and the competitive nature can crossover onto the pitch. That's a good thing about the squad, you can push each other and try and manage that."

READ MORE: Chelsea handed £105m Jose Mourinho return blow amid Frank Lampard decision

One of the main downfalls of Graham Potter was his inability to get the best out of the highly-talented squad at Stamford Bridge. One player who has ultimately struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League is Mykhailo Mudryk. The £88m January signing has managed only one assist in nine games since arriving and has been criticised for his form.

However, Lampard's arrival could rejuvenate the Ukraine international's form shown at Shakhtar Donetsk. The Chelsea icon's return to west London means he will be able to work with the 22-year-old after failing to sign him with Everton.

During his time at Goodison Park, Lampard was said to be keen on the winger and saw a €30million (£26m) offer rebuffed in the summer transfer window. As it was well-documented in the winter, Shakhtar applied all methods possible of keeping hold of Mudryk by increasing their asking price gradually.

Speaking in September, Shakhtar sporting director Darijo Srna revealed the extent of Lampard's failed move. “We received an offer of €30million [from Everton],” Srna told CBS Sports. “And when our president doesn’t sell a player for €30million, especially in such difficult times, he is sending a message to everyone that he wants to progress in the Champions League and to win the championship.

“Mudryk is a serious talent. After Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, he’s the best player in Europe in his position. If someone wants to buy Mudryk they must spend a lot, a lot, a lot of money and respect our club and our president.”

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