Frank Lampard refuses to rule out more signings at Chelsea
The Blues have added goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to take their summer spending past £220m.
Frank Lampard has refused to rule out further additions at Chelsea following Edouard Mendy’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The signing of Rennes goalkeeper Mendy for £20million has taken Chelsea’s summer spending past £220m, and the west Londoners have long eyed a move for West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr have all joined Chelsea in a hectic transfer window as Lampard reshapes his Blues squad.
Senegal stopper Mendy has become Chelsea’s seventh senior arrival, but while Lampard refused to speak on England star Rice he also would not declare his recruitment drive to be at an end.
When quizzed on West Ham midfielder Rice, Lampard continued: “Again they are rumours, I can’t talk about these things, but when players are ours it’s not my position to speculate on what may be, and it’s the same on the other side from players from other clubs. And I’ll continue that way.”
Mendy’s arrival boosts Chelsea’s competition between the sticks, with the 28-year-old taking his favoured number 16 shirt at Stamford Bridge.
Saturday’s Premier League trip to West Brom will come too soon for the latest new signing to start, but after this weekend Mendy will battle it out with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero for the starting role.
Kepa joined Chelsea in a £72m world-record fee for a goalkeeper in 2018 but has been beset by struggles with his form ever since.
The 25-year-old made costly mistakes against Brighton and Liverpool at the start of the new campaign, and was rested for Wednesday’s 6-0 Carabao Cup thrashing of Barnsley.
Kepa could have a big chance to state his selection case moving forward should he feature at West Brom, and Lampard admitted he will sit down with the Spain star and Caballero before Saturday’s trip to the Hawthorns.
“I haven’t spoken to Kepa, no, since the (Mendy) announcement came; we trained and I didn’t see Kepa,” said Lampard.
“But I will have a conversation with him, and with Willy Caballero over the next 24 hours or so.
“I have a very open line of communication with both of them.
“So I’m hoping there will be a positive mood between the goalkeepers, and I’m sure there will be.
“There’s good competition there now, we know that, and that’s how we move forward.
“To start tomorrow is not going to happen (for Mendy), he’s had a long week where he hasn’t really trained. He flew in on Thursday, and it just feels too tight a turnaround to put him in contention to start the game.”
