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Chelsea will reportedly look to trim their squad in January, with up to seven players vulnerable to a winter exit.
The Blues hit back from consecutive Premier League defeats to beat West Ham 3-0 on Monday night. That capped a reasonable first period of the season for the west Londoners.
They sit fifth in the top-flight standings but are just six points adrift of table-topping Liverpool. Add to that comfortable qualification for the Champions League last-16 and Lampard can be pleased with the situation.
However, having spent £200m in the summer, there is a sense that they might have slightly underachieved. With that in mind, they may look to strengthen in January and will need to make way for new stars.
One man who is said to be close to an exit is centre-back Antonio Rudiger. With just one league appearance in 2020-2020, he appears surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
He has been linked with Paris Saint-German but Thomas Tuchel’s sacking might scupper that move. The German is a fan and 90min claims Chelsea rejected summer loan bids from PSG for the Germany international.
Whether they follow up on that initial interest with a new man in charge remains to be seen.
Fringe players on the move
It is not just Rudiger who could be heading to pastures new in January. Many players have been used lightly due to the size of Chelsea’s squad and Lampard knows he must act.
According to Sky Sports, seven players will be jettisoned next month – either through permanent deals or on loan. Along with Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Jorginho, Marcos Alonso, Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater and Victor Moses could leave.
The difficulty will be finding new homes for the stars and clubs willing to pay the asking prices.
Although Chelsea’s squad does need to downside, there are two main reasons given for a mass exodus. West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland have long been linked.
Lampard is a known admirer of both but it is unlikely he will be able to bring both to the Bridge. The pair have been in excellent form and their price would reflect their present standing in the game.
But, if a few of their players could be sold then funds may be available to do some business.
Chelsea will return to action on Boxing Day when they make the short trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal.
READ MORE: Lampard backs misfiring Timo Werner
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