Chelsea boss Frank Lampard spoke at a press conference on the eve of his side’s Carabao Cup game against Barnsley. Here are four things we learned.
Silva and Chilwell are in the squad
Silva has been working his way back to fitness following his recent arrival at Chelsea, while Chiwell has been included in the squad too – the England left-back has been recovering from an injury he picked up prior to his move from Leicester.
On Silva, Lampard said: “He’s in the squad. He’s getting fit and I’ll make a decision on how many minutes he gets.”
Pulisic and Ziyech will soon be back
The Blues duo are “getting closer” to fitness after their respective injuries, Lampard explained.
Mendy incoming
Having previously refused to comment on the issue, Lampard confirmed that keeper Edouardo Mendy is set to sign.
“Mendy’s having a medical as we speak, so subject to that being OK later on he’ll become our player at that point,” Lampard said.
“With Mendy coming in its more competition, so every reaction will have to be positive around that from Kepa.
“Mendy as he comes in himself will push to try and play in this team.
“We know the standards that are required from a goalkeeper in this team, so we have to push for that.”
Lampard knows Havertz’s best position
There has been some debate over where the German will end up playing for Chelsea. Lampard made it clear he has his own thoughts on that one.
“I have my own ideas about him where I see him, but I think the main point at the minute for Kai is getting him fit,” Lampard explained.
“He is heavily – like the squad – in pre-season mode. Because of the situation, we aren’t in a position where we can bring in back-up players for big levels of money that we can wait and integrate them into the team.
“Kai has played in various positions through his career. He has played as a number eight and as a number 10 and he has played a lot on the right-hand side for Bayer Leverkusen last year.
“He has come here to be a huge talent for this team and we just need to get him fit and ready and then I think the position will be very clear.”