Chelsea receive huge boost as their transfer ban had been reduced.
Chelsea received some good news as the Court of Arbitration for Sport has reduced their transfer ban meaning the club can now sign players during the winter transfer window.
The ruling is a significant boost to a club that has done a good job this season with the roster they have and with an inexperienced manager like Frank Lampard.
Lampard so far seems up to the job and has an opportunity to add experienced players to an already decent side.
According to The Guardian, he said,
"“Obviously the club was working towards that and it’s a positive outcome for us.The January window wasn’t something to discuss at length until we knew the decision. The club have been working away putting our case forward, I’ve been working away trying to get us doing OK on the pitch, and now it’s a discussion we can start taking up.”"
The Chelsea manager went on to mention that he is happy with the squad he has but he has to be happy knowing that they can bring in players in areas that need strengthening.
In accordance, The Telegraph report that Lampard has been given £150 million to spend in the January transfer window by the Chelsea higher-ups. The funds could be used to sign a striker, wide players, and a defender.
Chelsea currently sit in fourth place in the table and have done so with a young squad. Lampard has given opportunities to the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Christian Pulisic. All three have responded positively and have been key contributors this season.
With the ban about to be over, Lampard will need to analyze his side and figure out where bringing in new players is necessary. He’s relied on the young players more out of necessity but it’s worked.
New and expensive signings may freeze out some of the players he’s relied upon and have a detrimental effect on the locker room chemistry.
Chelsea have a healthy lead on their closest rival for fourth place but may feel the need to sign to cement their top four status. The club is also very much in the hunt to advance to the knockout stages in the Champions League. Lampard and company may feel that more experience may be needed on that front should they want to progress further.
These are all questions and decisions that Lampard will have to figure. His hiring has paid dividends so far. Now it’s time to see how well he can do with an actual budget.