Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard faces a number of difficult tasks despite likely only being in charge of the Blues until the end of the season. The first challenge in front of the former midfielder is to turn around performances on the pitch, however that mission got off to a poor start as he lost his first game back at the helm to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday.
A first-half thunderbolt from Matheus Nunes settled the contest with Chelsea continuing to look devoid of ideas in attack. With the Champions League quarter-final in the back of his mind, N'Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell were rested at Molineux, but the latter came on for Marc Cucurella with just over 20 minutes to play.
Restoring the relationship between the club and the fanbase is also a priority on Lampard's list with the bond rather sour between the new board and the supporters. The sacking of Thomas Tuchel was controversial among fans and the subsequent appointment and eventual dismissal of Graham Potter left a sour taste in the mouth.
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While the two aforementioned tasks for Lampard are short-term, one decision could have major long-term consequences. The future of Mason Mount at Stamford Bridge is significantly up in the air but if anyone can convince the Cobham grad to remain in west London it will likely be the man who integrated him into the first-team picture in 2019.
Chelsea want Mount, their academy poster boy, to stay but reaching an agreement is proving a challenge. If anyone can convince Mount though, it is surely Lampard, who developed a strong bond with the midfielder during their spells at both Derby and Chelsea.
The 24-year-old was scheduled for extension talks with Chelsea before the World Cup but twice saw those meetings moved. The summer will now coincide with the decisive decision and a decision must be made then.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have previously scoffed at how Chelsea allowed Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger to leave on free transfers, ensuring they would never allow that to happen. Therefore, with Mount's deal up in 2024, he will either sign a new deal or be sold by the Blues with Liverpool among the clubs interested in acquiring his services.
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