Lampard could be making a mistake on Chelsea flop as pair reportedly put up for sale - opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has decided to put the midfield pairing of Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko up for sale after assessing his new squad in pre-season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the newly appointed Blues manager has run the rule over his adopted squad in pre-season so far, and has reportedly decided that Bakayoko and Drinkwater are surplus to requirements.

The duo joined Chelsea in the same summer window two years ago, with Drinkwater arriving from Leicester in a £35m deal whilst Bakayoko signed from Monaco in a move worth £40m.

However, the Frenchman spent last season on loan at AC Milan, whilst Drinkwater’s last appearance was in the Community Shield game against Manchester City almost a year ago. It is safe to say the pair aren’t key players at the club.

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Chelsea shouldn’t be so quick to discard Bakayoko 

In Drinkwater’s case, you can see why the Blues are happy to get rid of him.

At 29 years of age and on a reported £100k-a-week salary, it seems sensible to sanction his departure.

However, Bakayoko could yet have a lot more to offer.

The France international is just 24 years of age, and appeared to get back to his best form whilst out on loan with Milan last term – he made 31 Serie A appearances and impressed on a regular basis.

Admittedly, Bakayoko wasn’t great in his first season at Chelsea, but it generally takes a significant portion of time for players to adapt to the English game.

Even Thierry Henry didn’t score in his first eight Arsenal appearances, David De Gea was error-ridden in his early Manchester United days, and Bernardo Silva struggled to impress on his maiden campaign before establishing himself as a vital cog in Pep Guardiola’s machine last season.

So, after an entire season of acclimatisation, as well as a promising loan spell with a big European side, Bakayoko should rightly be handed an opportunity to resurrect his Chelsea career.

Lampard shouldn’t be giving up so quickly.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/2ZgM485