Forgotten Chelsea star facing exit due to ‘fundamental flaw’ of Boehly plan

Robin Bairner

• 4 May 2023 14:57 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea teenager Carney Chukwuemeka’s move to the club from Aston Villa last summer has proven to be a backwards step for the teenager.

The 19-year-old midfielder arrived at the Blues on an €18 million deal from Aston Villa but the England U20 cap has seen his progress stall.

Chukwuemeka has featured on just 12 occasions for the Stamford Bridge side this season, turning out in just 261 minutes of competitive first-team football. By way of comparison, he played more than 500 minutes for Villa last season across 16 outings.

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Indeed, Chukwuemeka has not seen a single minute of action since Frank Lampard returned to the club as interim manager – not even making the bench for the Blues. Under Graham Potter, he was given a smattering of minutes and even two Premier League starts.

TalkSport reports that the lack of action that the teenager has seen him come in “high demand” ahead of the summer transfer window.

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Lampard causing collateral damage

Indeed, it is pointed out that the youngster is collateral damage in the decision of Todd Boehly to bring Lampard back to the club, outlining a “fundamental flaw” in the American owner’s plan.

It is pointed out that Lampard has been most interested in preserving his reputation in the short-term and has therefore not taken any bold decisions to drop the club’s established stars. The iconic Chelsea midfielder has not sought to help the club by using its hungry young talent – which their project is supposed to be built around.

Lampard, though, has only damaged his reputation further by going back to Stamford Bridge.

That has meant less game time for the likes of Chukwuemeka, whose long-term prospects have been damaged by this exile.

The Blues are presently on a six-match losing streak, while Lampard himself has lost 10 successive matches between his spell at Everton and this second stint at Chelsea.

Nine points above the relegation zone, Chelsea should be safe from the drop, but defeats in their next two games against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest would have alarm bells ringing before playing three of the top four in their last trio of games of the season.