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Chelsea is currently in Japan as part of their pre-season and they have Frank Lampard at the helm. The West London club has taken several young players and many players that were on loan last season on its pre-season tour. With the upcoming season around the corner, the pre-season accords players the perfect platform to showcase their abilities.
The Academy and Loan Army at Chelsea has never really been able to connect with the first team. There have been several instances where talented players have had to seek shelter elsewhere due to Chelsea's inability to integrate the youth. Some famous examples include players like Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Mohamed Salah.
However, with Frank Lampard's arrival, things are destined to change. It seems that Chelsea has decided to gamble upon him. What happens next season is anyone's guess, but it is truly refreshing to see Chelsea give chances to the youth and forgotten players.
As the preseason goes on, Lampard will be selecting players that will play for Chelsea next season. Here, we take a look at 3 such players that can be possible show-stealers this preseason.
#3 Mason Mount
Well, this lad is the talk of the town. Last season, Mason Mount was out on loan at Derby County under Lampard. Mount was extraordinary in taking responsibility and creating continuous chances for his team. He was the fulcrum of most attacks at Derby and was essential in their bid for Premier League promotion.
Being a playmaker, he possesses the ability to work the ball around quickly. His vision is the most attractive part of his game as he is always on the lookout for defence splitting passes. With decent pace, he is also a clean finisher of the ball which was visible when he scored a fantastic goal against St Patrick's Athletic in a recent preseason friendly.
It is quite obvious that Lampard rates Mount very highly. Moreover, he signed a new 5-year contract on Monday which shows the immense faith the club has in him. He is one of the brightest talents at Cobham and one to definitely look out for. However, preseason is a stage where everyone gets an opportunity and his performances will truly determine whether or not he gets to become a starter at Stamford Bridge next season.
#2 Michy Batshuayi
If there is one player who has been misunderstood at Chelsea, it has to be Michy Batshuayi. On his arrival at Stamford Bridge, he was treated as the backup striker and was never really given a full chance to prove himself. Post that, he was sent out on three loans where he experienced mixed fortunes.
Now, Batshuayi as a striker has all the required qualities. He is an absolute poacher and has fantastic finishing abilities. His link-up play is great and he is able to contribute to the build-up of attacks.
The only thing missing in his game is consistency. He has a knack of going missing in games which came to light during his horrific loan spell at Valencia. Consistency is something that Lampard would definitely like to address in Batshuayi's game.
Now, considering Olivier Giroud's form and the emergence of Tammy Abraham, Batshuayi will need to bring his best form this preseason. It seems evident that being a back-up striker isn't really what Batshuayi is interested in. At his age, he would want to play week in, week out at the highest level.
Hence, it seems that this preseaon is more important for a player like Batshuayi than for anybody else. He would be very keen to prove his credentials to the new manager and stake his claim for leading the line next season.
#1 Tiemoue Bakayoko
About a year ago, no one would have guessed that Tiemoue Bakayoko would return to Chelsea. After his transfer to Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman was initially injured and was woeful on his return. He seemed to lack the basics of passing quickly and was extremely sloppy on the ball. It looked as if Bakayoko would be shipped off as soon as the season ended and he would never be seen at Chelsea again.
Well, Bakayoko's initial spell at his loan destination, AC Milan, was rather poor. His form was dire at that juncture. Moreover, the manager publicly criticized Bakayoko and things were not really working out for him in Italy. However, slowly but steadily, he grew into his role. And suddenly, Bakayoko seemed like the player that Chelsea had seen and bought at Monaco.
Getting many Man of the Match awards along the way, Bakayoko became loved at Milan and rumors were running rife that he would be moving permanently to the San Siro. Things, however, took a sharp turn towards the end of the season where Bakayoko was racially abused by some fans and further, he got into a fight with the manager. This meant that Bakayoko was done at Milan and was back at Chelsea.
Now, some Chelsea fans are happy to see him back as many believe he has returned as a different player. But most fans still believe that Bakayoko should be sold to some other club.
This preseason can prove to be career-defining for Bakayoko as it could make or break his Chelsea career. They already have too many midfielders and one can only board that train if one proves their merit. Bakayoko must go all guns blazing this preseason and make sure he gets noticed by the board and the manager, for the right reasons.
