Blues boss frustrated at the lack of signings and fears rivals will take advantage
Liverpool Man City Leicester Chelsea Man Utd Tottenham
vP W 24 23 24 16 24 15 24 12 24 9 24 9
D 1 3 3 4 7 7
L F A 0 56 15 5 65 27 6 52 24 8 41 32 8 36 29 8 38 32
Pts 70 51 48 40 34 34
King Power Stadium: 12.30pm
FRANK LAMPARD fears the transfer window has left Chelsea underdogs in the race for the top four.
The Blues head to Leicester this lunchtime positioned in the final Champions League spot and with a six-point gap to fifth.
But boss Lampard believes the ins and outs of the last month have left his side’s main rivals with the upper hand.
He made it clear he wanted to strengthen after the club’s transfer ban was overturned at the end of last year.
But a failure to bring in Edinson Cavani meant Olivier Giroud (right) stayed put, despite eyeing a move away for more game time.
And the sight of rivals Manchester United signing £67million Bruno Fernandes and Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho reshaping his squad has only added to his concerns.
Lampard said: “The reality of the fact we will not do business here for whatever reason and when you look around, every time I look at the TV another player signs for a club. That’s the transfer window.
“But if I’m looking at it with my business head on and looking around us in the table, I look at Manchester United signing a big, big player – a world-class player in my opinion. And the other teams around us, Sheffield United making fantastic signings.
“Tottenham have signed a few and they’re not far behind us. And not only have they signed a few, but a couple of players have left where – not being too crude about it – the situation was they were towards the end of their contracts and maybe weren’t happy being at the club.
“Now what remains to be seen will be seen. And from my view
– and this is not to talk down ourselves because we’re six points clear in fourth – now we become probably the underdogs and the outsiders to some point because the teams around us have strengthened. It’s a fact.”
Lampard knows new faces like Dries Mertens would have given his squad a lift and will now demand his players up their efforts. He added: “We know that recruitment is huge for a team that wants to be successful. Look no further than Liverpool and Manchester City in recent years. But it’s a fact.
“People will get bored if I keep crying about that. I have to work. The players have to work. At the start of the season, nobody had us in their top four.
“Now because there was a period where we were ahead of the curve, expectations were, ‘Ooh we’re hanging on in fourth that’s not good, that result’s not good’, because expectations change. I get that.
“Expectations change. But the reality is now we’re fourth, but it’s going to be a real big fight.”
Selhurst Park: 3pm