Was Lampard to blame for transfer flops Havertz, Ziyech & Werner?

James Shearman

• Updated: 6 Apr 2023 20:55 BST
• 3 min read

A lot of Frank Lampard's problems in his last spell as Chelsea manager came from poor transfer business.

Having finished fourth in the 2019-20 season while bringing through a number of youngsters from the academy, Lampard was rewarded with a huge transfer budget for the following campaign.

Chelsea signed Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva for close to £250 million.

RETURN: Frank Lampard appointed Chelsea boss

But that turned out to be a negative as those acquisitions brought added pressure to an already demanding task.

After Champions League qualification was seen as a major success in his first season, he was expected to compete for the Premier League title in his second.

Lampard fell a long way short of that, with many of his signings struggling to fit into his system, before he was ultimately sacked.

But were those transfer flops Lampard's fault?

Was Lampard to blame for transfer flops?

Former Tottenham and West Ham manager, and uncle of Lampard's, Harry Redknapp believes that the transfers were not his nephew's fault.

''Anyone thinking that the manager is the one responsible for the big-money signings these days has the wrong idea of modern football. That’s not how it works any more,'' Redknapp previously wrote in The Sun.

''These days it is pretty much all down to the head of recruitment, which means you are relying on someone else’s judgment.

''Chelsea spent fortunes on new players and as manager you’re under pressure — not only to play them — but for them also to be an instant success.

''When they don’t, like the two Germans Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, then the buck stops with the boss.

''But I’m sure Frank isn’t the one behind all the signings Chelsea have made.

''I’d say the only one he was mad keen on getting was Ben Chilwell. That’s how crazy the game has become.''