Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Tuesday, 16 June
The five issues facing Frank Lampard ahead of Villa match
Chelsea will return to Premier League action against Aston Villa on Sunday, and manager Frank Lampard has a number of considerations to make.
The Blues sit fourth in the league ahead of their trip to Villa Park to face a team they beat 2-1 back in December.
And, after three months off, Lampard can welcome back a number of players who have recovered from injury in the interim.
We’ve taken a look at the big issues awaiting Lampard , including a selection dilemma at the back and the question of what to do with Willian given the Brazilian’s contract situation, while the return of two important central midfielders will lead to a further ‘good’ dilemma in the middle of the park.
What awaits Chelsea’s forgotten man as Blues prepare for Werner arrival?
With Chelsea poised to add Timo Werner to their ranks, Michy Batshuayi is about to drop even further back in the queue for a starting spot up front.
The Belgian has started just one game all season, and has barely been involved as the Blues gear up for their return to competitive action.
However, with the striker approaching his theoretical peak at 26 years of age, and having cost £33m from Marseille in 2016, it could be hard for Chelsea to find anyone able to pay their asking price for a player who seems surplus to requirements.
With previous suitors Crystal Palace and Borussia Dortmund no longer desperate to snap up the striker, Alan Smith has assessed what could be in store for Batshuayi as he enters the final year of his Chelsea contract.
Chelsea defender suffers broken finger just days before Premier League restart
Andreas Christensen was dealt a setback in his preparations for a return to action, suffering a broken finger in training.
The Chelsea centre-back will return with splints in the digit, according to The Athletic’s Simon Johnson, but the injury is not believed to be serious enough to rule him out of the trip to face Aston Villa on Sunday.
Christensen has played 20 times for Chelsea this season, battling with the likes of Toni Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori for a starting spot at the back, and helped Denmark edge out Ireland to qualify for the European Championships.
He last featured in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on 29 February, but was an unused sub for the 4-0 win over Everton in the Blues’ last competitive game in March.
