Frank Lampard has said that Benoit Badiashile is very close to forcing his way back into the Chelsea starting XI. The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Monaco in a £33million deal in January and initially made a bright start to his career at Stamford Bridge, collecting three clean sheets in his first three Premier League starts. However, he was left out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages and was used more sparingly in the latter days of Graham Potter’s tenure, while interim boss Lampard has only played him once in a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
Lampard believes that the new recruits have been hampered by the team’s struggles and that Badiashile is close to earning a spot in the starting XI. He said: “He’s training well and I think he’s come here – as a lot of the players have come – from a different league at a young-ish age into the Premier League. I think it’s understandable to have moments of maybe gametime and maybe moments of not. To a degree you’re a developing player but probably more just [a case of] finding your feet in this league as young players.”
Lampard added that the lack of stability in the squad has made it difficult for the new players to adjust, but he is there to support them. He said: “At the moment that’s not the case. So I think to give credit to those players themselves, that’s not easy to take some of that responsibility on their shoulders. But what they are all doing is trying to work and keep going and I’m here – and we’re here, as staff – to support that.”