Chelsea
must "be realistic" about their top-four hopes and give Frank Lampard time
to succeed, according to Jamie Redknapp.
Chelsea have already lost Eden Hazard to Real Madrid this summer - but will
not be able to re-invest the hefty fee received for him until this time next
year due to the two-window transfer embargo they are currently serving.
They have also been unable to add to their goalscoring ranks for 2019/20,
leaving them with Olivier Giroud - who scored only two Premier League goals
last season - and the untested Tammy Abraham alongside previously
out-of-favour striker Michy Batshuayi to lead the line.
With that in mind, Redknapp says Chelsea, who finished inside the top four
by two points last season, should temper their expectations under Lampard
and give the incoming Derby man time - at a club where patience has often
been in short supply under past regimes.
He told Sky Sports News: "It's a great move, not just for Frank but for
Chelsea too. It's astute, you need someone who can stabilise the club
somewhat when you've lost your best player and under a transfer embargo.
"They've got one of their own, the fans adore him. He'll need time, there'll
be a lot of changes; you can't bring any personnel in to replace a big-name
star like Eden Hazard. He'll need to be given time, but he will - because
he's Frank Lampard.
"The expectation will be to finish in the top four, but they've got to be
realistic. I think there'll be moments in the season where it'll be a
struggle, because of the Hazard effect.
"It doesn't matter what manager you have - Guardiola, Mourinho, anyone -
they are going to struggle without that quality of player. But if they were
to finish in the top four, that would be an amazing season considering the
embargo and everything else."
Questions have been asked whether the job has come too quickly for the
Chelsea legend, who won three Premier League titles as a player at Stamford
Bridge, but takes the reigns at one of England's biggest clubs after just
one season in management.
"I know he enjoyed his time at Derby, he had a great rapport with the fans
but you can't turn something like this down," Redknapp said.
"Everyone will have their opinions, some people will say it's too early for
Frank, other people will say it's the right time, but for someone like Frank
- he knows the game, he's worked with some of the best managers in the
world, and in terms of timing it is the right time.
"The players will respect him, and patience will be the key."
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