New Chelsea boss Frank Lampard says he “will always have an eye on the academy” after putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal. The club’s all-time leading scorer was confirmed as Chelsea’s new boss on Thursday. Previouslyc Chelsea have been accused of not making the most of the youngsters at their disposal but Lampard hopes to change that perception.
The 41-year-old, who guided Derby County to the Championship play-off final last season, will almost certainly have to make use of the Stamford Bridge club’s academy in the coming campaign as Chelsea are under a transfer embargo but Lampard is thinking long term.
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“The path from the academy to the first team is important,” said Lampard. “It is something that I will work hard to make sure the communication is there day in, day out. I’m lucky because the staff I have with me will help with that. “I will always have an eye on the academy, Lampard said.
I was that young player a very long time ago and the one thing you want is the feeling that the road which divides the academy to the main building is a road you can cross. It has to be there for you. And I think that does come from the top. If young players are performing and they deserve it on merit, then they will be coming to train with us.”
He added: “I was fortunate to work with Mason Mount and [Fikayo] Tomori [on loan from Chelsea] at Derby and their attitude stood out well. “You could see they had come through the academy here in how they held themselves, how they trained, their manners off the pitch. That’s what I want to see. I want to dangle the carrot. Can you work hard? Can you compete? Can you get in the team?”
