Chelsea News Roundup: Frank Lampard rules out two stars for Newcastle United clash, Blues star's agent hints at Stamford Bridge exit, and more — 19th November 2020
Chelsea are set to return to Premier League football with a trip to St. James' Park on Saturday afternoon. The Blues ended the previous run of fixtures on a great note and with a flurry of goals, scoring a minimum of three times in their last four games across all competitions.
Things are beginning to fall in place for Frank Lampard's men, with star forwards Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner beginning to find their feet at Stamford Bridge and the likes of Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva having a massive impact on their backline. Ahead of their return, here, we take a look at some of the latest Chelsea news.
Frank Lampard provides injury update on star trio ahead of Magpies clash
Chelsea boss Lampard has confirmed that Christian Pulisic and Thiago Silva will not feature for the Blues in their lunchtime kick-off against Newcastle United. The American international has struggled with a hamstring injury he picked up during the warmup sessions ahead of their game against Burnley.
Thiago Silva, on the other hand, returned to England only recently after his commitment with the Brazilian national side and will need time to rest and recover from the Selecao's 2-0 win over Uruguay. Speaking on the pair, Lampard said;
"Christian Pulisic is not fit for Newcastle [United], but he’s stepped up his training slowly. It’s been quite a problematic injury so we will stay cautious. Thiago Silva has just landed. He just messaged me this afternoon so he probably won’t be going to Newcastle because of the length of the journey and timings."
Elsewhere, Kai Havertz could be in contention to face Steve Bruce's men, as he has returned to training after testing positive for COVID-19. The English manager revealed;
"Kai Havertz is back, his Isolation is over. He tested negative two days ago, so he’s just started training that’s more on his own to get individually some of his fitness back after two weeks at home."
Olivier Giroud's agent hints at Chelsea exit
Olivier Giroud's agent, Michael Manuello, has hinted at a possible exit from Stamford Bridge if things 'do not evolve'. The French star has been superb form for his country but has barely been able to register minutes at club level, sparking rumours of an exit in the near future.
Speaking on Giroud's future with Chelsea and the speculation regarding his client's future, Manuello explained;
"For now, it’s too soon to know what’s really concrete or not. The interests, the rumours, for me, there’s little interest. We’ll see come mid-December. A January window, before mid-December, is just rumours. We don’t know where clubs will be nor how Olivier [Giroud] will do at Chelsea."
The agent did clarify that should the striker not be given a run of games, he will look for an exit from the club. Manuello added,
"If tomorrow, Olivier has to leave, he’ll go knock on the manager’s door, who will tell him ‘I know, it’s fine’. There’s no need for continuous talks on that. When you’re mature, adult, there’s no need for all that. So staying at Chelsea is a priority, but if things don’t evolve, we’ll leave."
Giroud has lost his place to their new star addition Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, who has been in superb form for the Blues.
Also read: Antonio Conte names 2 key transfer targets he missed out on as Chelsea manager