Chelsea ‘at a critical stage’ ahead of Norwich says Lampard
Chelsea new boy Hakim Ziyech is at Stamford Bridge tonight to watch his new team-mates in action. The Morocco international completed his £33.4m switch to west London on July 1 and has been training with the group at Cobham this week.
Ziyech enjoyed his first training session on Saturday before his new side were thumped 3-0 by Sheffield United in Yorkshire.
Despite the delay to the Premier League campaign, Ziyech will be unable to take to the field until the new season.
It also means he will have to sit out of the Champions League last 16 second-leg against Bayern Munich which takes place on August 8.
Nonetheless, Ziyech is keen to use the rest of this season to integrate with the squad so that he feels settled in his new surroundings ahead of the new campaign.
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Ziyech admitted earlier in the year that he spoke with Lampard via WhatsApp and the Chelsea boss played a key role in persuading him to join the club.
“I’ve been in contact with him for a few weeks now,” Ziyech told Ajax’s official YouTube channel.
“At first, mainly by the phone. We had a few long conversations about his approach, the playing style, the club, about me personally.
“And later on we texted quite a lot. He told me he had been following me for a while. He gave me a good feeling and that was also big to do with the decision.”
Hakim Ziyech has been training with Chelsea after completing his £33m switch from Ajax (Image: GETTY)
Chelsea are in desperate need of all three points tonight in their quest for a top-four finish. The Blues will be grateful that their catastrophic defeat at Bramall Lane went unpunished following Leicester's 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth and Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Southampton.
Lampard knows that securing Champions League football could prove the difference when it comes to signing their top targets this summer.
They will only have themselves to blame if they blow it against Norwich, who were relegated for a record fifth time on Saturday after their 4-0 defeat at home to West Ham.
The Blues travel to the champions Liverpool after their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United before finishing the season at home to fellow top-four contenders Wolves.
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