Chelsea legend Alan Hudson has insisted that under-fire manager Frank Lampard has been given ‘enough money’ to shut down talk that the Blues should seek new signings in the January window.
Hudson spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside following the west London outfit’s 4-0 win against Morecambe in the FA Cup, noting that the rout was to be ‘expected’ against a ‘lower league’ team.
Hudson, who established himself as a Blues icon after coming through the ranks in the early 70s, reiterated that the one-sided FA Cup victory ‘means nothing’ when considering the dire performances in defeats to Arsenal and Manchester City especially that have left the side 9th in the league table.
Chelsea have lost four of their last six Premier League games, winning just once against Leeds and drawing against Aston Villa in a fixture that could prove to be pretty costly.
Hudson, who represented England at Under-23s and senior level, added that owner Roman Abramovich has already given Lampard ‘enough money’ – shutting down claims that signings in January are the answer to getting the side back on track.
The Blues were considerably the biggest spenders across world football in the summer, whilst most clubs were financially crippled or acted in a restricted manner due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here’s what Hudson had to say on the expected win against Morecambe, the ‘heat’ rightfully remaining on despite and whether January signings are needed to life the side:
“I agree it was a ‘walk in the park’ against a lower league team, to be expected.”
“The problem Frank has now is that this means nothing if you take into account the two performances that were not good enough (Arsenal and Manchester City), which if they had performed would have kept them right in there, therefore they would have given themselves a breather, instead the heat is on.”
“As for January signings, I think Roman (Abramovich) has given Frank enough money to get that front line sorted out but it hasn’t happened and the owner might be having second thoughts about both spending and whether Frank is the answer?”
Hudson has joined many fans and pundits alike in stating that the inconsistent front line is the side’s biggest issue at this moment in time, considering their spending in this area – Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech – they’d be wise to not commit more money to attack at this point.
Hudson also echoed the notion that with spending and financial backing comes added pressure, by questioning whether Abramovich is having ‘second thoughts’ on Lampard leading the side with the struggles of the past two months possibly derailing the side’s campaign.
From early title contenders, Chelsea now look as though they’ll have to wait some time – whilst stringing together wins – in order to even find themselves in a European spot with Villa and Everton holding games in hand.