Six Chelsea stars Frank Lampard could sign at Rangers

Robin Bairner

6 Oct 2023 13:51 BST
6 min read

Frank Lampard might not be Rangers fans’ favourite candidate to fill Michael Beale’s void as manager, but according to reports he is on their final shortlist for the job.

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The Gers have endured a miserable start to the season and a 3-1 home defeat to Aberdeen last weekend proved the end of Beale’s time at the club after less than a year in the Ibrox dugout.

The crisis deepened in midweek when a poor display in the Europa League saw Rangers lose 2-1 to Aris Limassol, hastening the need for a new face to arrive at the club imminently.

Lampard, meanwhile, is tipped to follow in the footsteps of long-time Premier League rival Steven Gerrard by becoming manager of the Glasgow giants.

Gerrard had success in luring some top names to Ibrox and if Lampard is to get the job, Rangers fans would at least hope for that to be replicated, with the prospect of plundering Chelsea a very real one.

But what players might Super Frank bring from Stamford Bridge?

Trevoh Chalobah

Chalobah appears to have had his shot at making it at Chelsea. Aged 24, the centre-back finds himself behind a raft of players in that area of the field and has apparently little prospect of breaking into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans.

The summer arrival of Axel Disasi and the decision to retain Levi Colwill were two critical blows to him in terms of a long-term future at the club.

Still, he boasts more than 60 Chelsea top-team appearances and the prospect of playing regularly at Rangers might well be an appealing one for an academy product who may yet go on to enjoy a successful career.

Malang Sarr

Chelsea’s extensive squad means that there are several senior pros without a hope of landing any first-team action. One of those is Malang Sarr, who was at the club during Lampard’s reign.

There is no doubt that Chelsea would be open to any offers for the Frenchman. How far out of the first-team picture is he? Far enough for Pochettino to forget who he was when asked about him during a pre-season press conference.

The question is, would Sarr be good enough to improve Rangers?

Josh Brooking

If Lampard is willing to dip into the loan market, teenage defender Josh Brooking is a player he could potentially look at. The 19-year-old is rated significantly enough at Chelsea to have been named on the bench for the recent Premier League encounter against Fulham, while he was also a substitute in the EFL Cup encounter with Brighton.

In his only Premier League 2 appearance this season, he scored and assisted as Chelsea’s U21s beat Man City 2-1, with his goal coming after a remarkable solo run from the halfway line.

What a stunning goal from Chelsea u21 Josh Brooking which started in his own half (stream glitch at end) #CFC #PL2 pic.twitter.com/b54xAWXSu4
— TheSecretScout (@TheSecretScout_) September 22, 2023

Leo Castledine

An attacking midfielder might not be necessarily top of Ranger’s shortlist given the impressive performances of Todd Cantwell as a dynamic player in the centre of the field, but they would be well advised to study 18-year-old Castledine’s displays for Chelsea’s reserve sides.

Like Lampard was, Castledine is a goal-scoring midfielder. The 18-year-old boasts two goals and four assists in the Premier League 2 this season and is one of the hottest prospects at Stamford Bridge.

He has been touted as a future first-team star and a first loan move away will surely take place soon. Rangers could unearth a gem if they beat the chasing pack to sign Castledine on loan.

Alex Matos

Alex Matos’ arrival at Chelsea this summer certainly went under the radar when compared to the big-money midfield arrivals of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

An early birthday present 🎁

Congratulations on making your Chelsea first-team debut, Alex Matos 💙 pic.twitter.com/DDOxSm9Brd
— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) October 2, 2023

However, the youngster’s move from Norwich has already paid off, with Matos making his Premier League debut in the final stages of Chelsea’s 2-0 away win against Fulham.

A central midfielder with excellent energy and defensive traits, Matos has been training with the Chelsea first-team for several weeks and has been one of the stars of their U21 side this campaign.

Deivid Washington

Deivid Washington has only made one appearance for Chelsea at any level since his €16 million move this summer, but he is regarded as a huge talent.

The Brazilian has appeared on the bench in each of the Blues’ past five first-team games and looks to be on the verge of making his senior debut.

In his one appearance for Chelsea so far - for the U21s - Washington scored in a 2-1 win over Manchester City and should’ve had an assist after a brilliant through-ball to Ronnie Stutter, who failed to hit the target with his shot.

Washington is an unknown talent but Chelsea invested in him for a reason and with Rangers’ current crop of forwards failing to impress, he could be a good loan option.