€140m transfer flops Werner & Kepa defended by Lampard

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:45 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has offered words of support for Timo Werner and Kepa Arrizabalaga after the big-money signings disappointed again on Sunday.

The Blues beat Luton Town 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup thanks to a hattrick from Tammy Abraham but Werner and Kepa both made high-profile errors.

The German intentional, who has scored just one goal in his last 16 games, missed a penalty to ease his goal woes.

“With Timo I’m disappointed for him,” Lampard said about his €60 million summer signing from Leipzig.

“He gave a lot to the performance today. He was a threat behind, his link-up with Tammy, his link-up with people around him, it’s just one of those things.

“When it’s not going for you, it can happen. I missed penalties, I know the feeling. I know he will feel despondent, maybe now and the last few minutes of the game, but he shouldn’t be.

“It’s my job and his teammates’ job to lift him and he will be fine. It was almost a sign of what’s going on for Timo at the minute, it’s not quite dropping for him, but there will be a time when he takes penalties without thinking about it and hits the back of the net without thinking about it. At the moment that’s not quite the time for Timo, but it will come and hopefully soon.”

Lampard also defended goalkeeper Kepa, who was culpable for Jordan Clark’s goal for Luton.

The 26-year-old became the most expensive goalkeeper in the world when Chelsea paid €80m for him in 2018.

But he has been a huge flop in west London and this season has lost his starting shirt to new signing Edouard Mendy.

“Well, on the flipside of that [error], Kepa makes a really top save in the second half to make sure it doesn’t go to 2-2,” Lampard noted.

“It is very easy for people to sort of hone in on that but Kepa is not playing so regularly.

“He comes in after training well and he is a good goalkeeper and I will certainly give him that one in the first half.”

Chelsea are next in action on Wednesday when they will play Wolves in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.