Roman Abramovich could be poised for an historic summer of spending after his Chelsea team secured Champions League qualifications on a breathless and long-delayed final day of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.
A brace late in first-half stoppage time from Mason Mount and Oliver Giroud sealed a crucial three points for the West Londoners to ensure that they finish in the top four on what was the latest-ever final day to an English top flight season.
The win, coupled with Manchester United toppling Leicester at the King Power Stadium, ensures that it will be Lampard’s Chelsea and Solksjaer’s United who take the final two positions in England’s Champions League allocation. Leicester must try again next season.
For Chelsea though, assuring themselves of Champions League games next season provides a solid bedrock for Abramovich to continue his Chelsea rebuild after recently showing renewed desire to open his check book to address the chasm which exists between Lampard’s team and the league’s two dominant teams, Liverpool and Manchester City.
German marksman Timo Werner (who was present inside Stamford Bridge on Sunday) has already been added to Chelsea’s ranks at great cost, while the creative Hakim Ziyech was also prized away from an Ajax team who have enjoyed so much success on the European stage in recent years. Kai Havertz, one of the top talents on the world stage, is expected to join the next month.
The total costs of those three players will be somewhere north of $150 million, but the financial windfall of qualification for Europe’s top club competition should generate enough wiggle room to fund further purchases – and both Lampard and Abramovich will be well aware of the specific holes which need to be plugged at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s leaky defence certainly isn’t being helped by the error-prone Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, nor by a backline which appears to lack the sturdy presence of a Virgil van Dijk or Mathias de Ligt. Left-back is also an issue.
However, Abramovich’s redoubled commitment to fund aggressive moves in the transfer market suggests that the Russian is keen to set a course to return to Champions League glory.
