Chelsea misfit offered lifeline after Lampard responds to West Ham bid

Palmieri.Werner.Chelsea.TEAMtalk

An out of favour Chelsea defender has been offered a reprieve by Frank Lampard after West Ham’s transfer approach was rejected.

Chelsea returned to winning ways after a Tammy Abraham hattrick secured passage to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The victory provided a much needed confidence boost after results took a turn for the worse since Christmas.

That poor run upped pressure on Blues boss Lampard, but hopes are still high of a successful season with Chelsea still challenging on three fronts.

With fixtures in the league, FA Cup and Champions League set to come thick and fast, the depth of Lampard’s squad will be tested.

One player who had seemingly become a forgotten figure was left-back Emerson Palmieri.

The Italian, 26, has had to play second fiddle since the summer acquisition of impressive England international Ben Chilwell.

Rumours of a January exit had begun to swirl, with a return to Serie A appearing a possibility.

However, a stay on these shores could’ve been on the cards according to the Mirror, who note that West Ham had made a loan approach.

Emerson Palmieri TEAMtalk

With Arthur Masuaku sidelined until the end of February, the Hammers are short of options behind Aaron Cresswell.

Palmieri was reportedly seen as a viable ‘stop-gap’, but Lampard has put his foot down.

The article states that despite his lack of gametime, West Ham’s approach was rejected. Lampard reportedly wishes to keep him around as vital cover.

Palmieri was handed a rare start in the victory over Luton. As such, increased minutes could be on the agenda with such a hectic schedule looming.

With that avenue closed, West Ham’s attentions could now turn to securing a rarely-seen Man Utd full-back.

 

Lampard responds to Werner, Kepa failures

Frank Lampard TEAMtalk

Meanwhile, Lampard was full of praise for two Chelsea stars after the FA Cup win over Luton, while also reflecting on the penalty miss by Timo Werner and another Kepa mistake.

An Abraham treble secured the Blues a victory over the Championship side to relieve some pressure on Lampard.

Abraham slotted in from Timo Werner’s cut-back before nodding in a second from Reece James’ chip.

Jordan Clark scored for the visitors – after an error by keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga- on 30 minutes to keep them in the game.

But Abraham poked home to seal victory before Werner missed a penalty.

Chelsea will face Championship side Barnsley in the fifth round.

Speaking after the game, Lampard said: “It’s a competition we’ve had success with and the expectation is we go through. We had to get the game right and we did.”

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