Thursday 31 May 2018 14:39, UK
Frank Lampard has signed a three-year deal to become the new manager of Derby County, but will he return to his former club in the transfer market?
Sky Sports understands that due to financial fair play restrictions, Lampard will have a tight budget with which to operate in the transfer market, meaning the likelihood of him delving into the loan market is highly likely.
Having been a part of the play-offs for the third time in five seasons, Lampard would do well to replicate Gary Rowett's record last campaign, but chairman Mel Morris highlighted his new manager's "passion and humility" in his statement.
Lampard, who is Derby's 10th manager in five years, will learn who his opponents are in his first Sky Bet Championship game on June 21, and while preparations for the forthcoming campaign begin in earnest, he will be aware that the transfer window for loan signings remains open until August 31.
Cardiff and Fulham both demonstrated the benefit of the loan system in earning promotion this campaign, and Lampard may seek to use his position of strength to entice members of Chelsea's highly successful youth academy to Pride Park.
Enquiring about the availability of Chelsea's youngsters is a natural place to start, and there have been reports that the club's Under 18s coach Jody Morris could join Lampard as his assistant next month.
Derby have now been installed as 5/4 favourites to land John Terry after his departure from Aston Villa, but which current Chelsea players will Lampard look to loan? We assess some of the options…
Chelsea's feeder club in the Netherlands is Vitesse, but Derby could well develop into the club's preferred port of call for their youngsters over the coming campaign and beyond.
The Rams loaned Patrick Bamford from Chelsea during the 2013/14 season, with the then 20-year-old striker scoring eight goals in 23 appearances as they missed out on promotion in the play-offs, losing to Queens Park Rangers in the final at Wembley.
But Lampard could tempt Tammy Abraham to drop back into the Championship following an indifferent season with Swansea City as the Welsh club were relegated from the Premier League.
Abraham enjoyed a prolific campaign with Bristol City in 2016/17, scoring 23 goals in 41 appearances - and he began the campaign with the Swans brightly - but his waning influence in spearheading a struggling top flight side suggested the step-up in class may have come too early for the 20-year-old.
The striker may see a move to Derby as the necessary step backwards in order to rediscover his confidence in front of goal having been on the cusp of an England call-up in February.
During the second half of last season, promising midfielder Kasey Palmer joined Derby on loan for the remainder of the campaign, and Lampard could seek to extend the arrangement for a second spell after an encouraging 14 league appearances.
Palmer played an integral role for Huddersfield Town the previous season in helping David Wagner's men seal promotion to the top flight, and given Chelsea are well-stocked in midfield, it is likely that he will be sent out on loan for another season.
One of the more audacious moves could be attempting to lure Marco van Ginkel to England's second tier after a hugely successful season on loan at PSV Eindhoven.
The 25-year-old became the club's captain during their title-winning campaign - his second since 2016. It is clear that the Eredivisie outfit want to retain his services, but Dutch outlet De Telegraaf report that they could be priced out of a deal.
Derby have missed the technical qualities of Will Hughes since his switch to Watford last summer, and attracting van Ginkel, who has eight Holland caps, would represent a major coup.
Dasilva was voted Player of the Year by Charlton supporters after re-joining the Addicks on loan for a second spell back in July, but having missed out on promotion at the Valley, the 20-year-old full-back may seek to test himself at a higher level.
It has been quite a 12 months for Dasilva, who captained England's Under-19s to European Championship glory last summer in Georgia, and after making 42 appearances as left-back for Charlton, Lampard could look to the youngster to compete with the more-experienced Craig Forsyth and Marcus Olsson.
Mount scored nine goals in 29 Eredivisie appearances for Vitesse last season having starred for Chelsea's FA Youth Cup-winning sides in 2016 and 2017.
Gareth Southgate rewarded the 19-year-old for his brilliant season by allowing him to train with the England squad this month and Mount is seen as the crown jewel to have emerged from Chelsea's academy in recent seasons.
Indeed, speaking about who he takes inspiration from in his career, Mount said in April: "When I was growing up and playing for Chelsea, Frank Lampard is someone that I would always watch. He is a goalscoring midfielder."
"I was watching his games, his goals and how he arrives into the box. He is always in the right position, so that's something I try to look at and emulate."
