Paul Merson has branded the five-game sequence of defeats that Frank Lampard has presided over since his appointment as Chelsea’s interim manager as “the worst run of form in the history of football”. The club legend was appointed earlier this month following the sacking of Graham Potter, with Todd Boehly hoping that Lampard’s return would appease an increasingly disgruntled fanbase and bring stability to a bloated, rudderless first team squad. However, Lampard’s appointment has only added to the uncertainty and chaos that has engulfed Chelsea since Roman Abramovich’s departure, with defeat against Brentford on Wednesday representing another setback for a beleaguered Lampard whose side have managed just a solitary deflected goal during the games he has taken charge of.
Merson told Sky Sports that Mauricio Pochettino’s seemingly inevitable arrival would need to be followed by quick action in order to avoid a chaotic transfer window. He said: “He needs to get in lively. No disrespect to Frank, get in and sort out what he’s going to do next season. You don’t want to get in there and see the players on July 1 and trying to sort it out. Before you know it it’s August and you’re close to transfer deadline day and you’ve got five players you need to get rid of and then suddenly Chelsea are the busiest team on deadline day.”
Merson went on to say that the current run of form was “the worst run in the history of football” due to the talent available to Lampard. He added: “I’m not exaggerating here but this is the worst run in the history of football. People will say some teams have gone 25 games without a win, but not with talent like that. When you’ve got top international footballers and you can put out two teams like this I would have to say it’s the worst run in the history of football for the talent they have.”
Pochettino’s first task will be to earmark the players he wants to retain and build around, with Mason Mount’s precarious contractual situation meaning he may end up departing. Merson is hopeful that the Argentine is capable of convincing the England international to stay, saying: “It’s ridiculous how many players they have got there. For me you’ve got to keep Mason Mount he looks like he’ll be the one going. OK he hasn’t been great this year and he’s been injured but he was one of their standout players last year. For me it needs to change quickly but you look at the Arsenal game and you think how can they win? I wasn’t shocked they lost to Brentford and was 100% not shocked they got beat by Brighton.”