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Football London
Football London
Sport
Josh Holland

Frank Lampard faced with key Chelsea selection dilemma to undo Graham Potter work

Chelsea's decision to re-appoint Frank Lampard as head coach for the remainder of the season will ultimately inject a much-needed boost of optimism. The Blues have suffered a poor campaign from start to finish and find themselves 11th in the Premier League.

Lampard has worked with a number of players within the current set of players and has already reiterated that every individual comes into the final 11 games of the season with a "clean slate".

The return of the 44-year-old will have delighted the likes of Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Reece James after they all enjoyed their first stint with the former midfielder. However, the same cannot be said for others.

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

In his first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge, Kepa Arrizabalaga lost his place as Lampard's number one in 2020 after Edouard Mendy arrived for £22million from Ligue 1 side Rennes. After three goals in the opening two games of the season, the Spaniard was dropped for Mendy and made only five further league appearances.

Mendy did not take long to cement himself as Lampard's first choice with eight clean sheets in his opening nine games across all competitions. "At the moment yes; he's shown his quality," Lampard said when asked if the Senegalese was his number one after the 0-0 draw with Sevilla.

Now, Lampard has a decision to make for the remainder of the season. Kepa has faced criticism in recent weeks for his performance against Everton and Aston Villa. The 28-year-old was easily beaten by Ellis Simms to concede a late equaliser before the international break before letting John McGinn's long-range strike last weekend.

If Lampard's past is anything to go by, it is very likely that Chelsea supporters will see Mendy take up the spot behind the defence at Molineux on Saturday. The 31-year-old has only made 11 appearances all season and has not featured since the 1-0 loss at Newcastle prior to the World Cup.

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