With a transfer ban looming over the club, Frank Lampard was somewhat forced into giving Chelsea’s homegrown youngsters plenty of first-team action last season.
Since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich took over in 2003, Chelsea have gained a reputation for signing overseas stars for excessive fees, leaving their academy prospects with very little hope of breaking into the first team.
But when the club's transfer strategy was thwarted last year, new boss Lampard had little choice but to dig deep into his squad and make the most of his young prodigies.
In fact, 21-year-old Mason Mount was Lampard’s most-used player last term, racking up a respectable eight goals and six assists in 53 appearances in all competitions.
Tammy Abraham, 22, finished as the club’s top scorer last season. The striker netted 15 Premier League goals and also contributed three in the Champions League.
20-year-old right-back Reece James also featured heavily for the Blues throughout 2019/20, while Callum Hudson-Odoi, 19, enjoyed a decent yet injury-hit campaign.
Fikayo Tomori, 22, started the season as one of Lampard’s favored centre-backs but was used sparingly during the second half of the campaign, with 19-year-old Billy Gilmour rising to prominence in the latter stages of the season.
However, it was no secret that Chelsea were always going to revert back to making big-money signings when the transfer ban was lifted. And that’s exactly what’s happened.
First up, the Blues wasted no time in swooping for Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan was brought in for £36 million and will primarily be used as either a No. 10 or a winger.
Ziyech’s arrival is likely to see Mount and Hudson-Odoi get less game time, as the 27-year-old plays a very similar role to the two youngsters.
Ziyech enjoyed the season of his life back in 2018/19, notching up 21 goals and 24 assists, before contributing a further 21 assists in just 35 games last term.
Chelsea have also acquired the services of Timo Werner. The German striker – who was signed from RB Leipzig for just under £50 million – will offer direct competition to Abraham.
Still, Werner racked up an astonishing 34 goals and 13 assists in 45 appearances last season, so he is undoubtedly an upgrade on Lampard’s pre-existing attacking options.
Let’s not forget that Chelsea have also been heavily linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s man of the moment, Kai Havertz.
Chelsea’s youngsters exceeded all expectations last season, guiding the club to fourth in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final.
But with the arrival of Ziyech and Werner, along with the possibility of Havertz coming to Stamford Bridge, the likes of Mount and Abraham will almost certainly take a backseat in 2020/21.