“There is still a gap at Chelsea” — Frank Lampard warns

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has called on the club’s owners to exercise patience with newly appointed manager Enzo Maresca.

The former England international, highlighted the existing gap between Chelsea and Premier League powerhouses like Manchester City and Arsenal, urging the owners to give Maresca time to build on the positive groundwork laid by former manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea recently appointed Maresca as Pochettino’s successor after finishing sixth in the league last season. Reflecting on Maresca’s appointment, Frank Lampard shared his insights in an interview with talkSPORT, emphasizing the importance of stability and patience for the club’s future success.

“It was good to see a positive end to the season,” Lampard said. “I was there at the back-end of the previous season and I knew it was going to be a tough build and a tough task because of where the club was at and the distance now to the top clubs.”

Lampard acknowledged the progress Chelsea made towards the end of the season but stressed the need for a long-term vision to bridge the gap with the league’s top teams.

“And I think there’s still a gap so you need to be patient and give the new manager the chance to do his work, assess the squad, maybe affect the squad and bring players in,” he added.

The former Chelsea midfielder believes that with the right support, Maresca can continue the positive momentum. “We will see how they go next year but they definitely finished on a positive note which was good to see.”