Three big questions: Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu and the up hill battle

2. Why would he be a good fit if he stays?

Ampadu is usually seen as either a centerback or a holding midfielder. He has played in both positions plenty for club and country and it remains a very open ended question as to which he is actually best at or if it even matters.

That could prove important to Lampard. With the arrival of Kai Havertz, the midfield and attack are going to be stacked offensively. Defensively, that much attack requires a player to shield the back line. N’Golo Kante is that player, but there are concerns about his injury history. Regardless, he will need someone to deputize him.

That is where Ampadu comes in. The Welshman can line up as the deepest midfielder when Kante cannot. He has the ability to sniff out danger and the defensive wherewithal to win the ball back once he does. He is also great on the ball and could be a good source of possession when playing out of the back.

Perhaps more importantly is his ability to also play centerback. No, this is not saying line him up in a back four. This is saying when he plays in midfield and play requires it, he can drop in between the two centerbacks to form the back three.

This is likely why Lampard and his staff are looking at a player of a similar profile like Declan Rice. It is also a common tactical trend used by Jody Morris in his youth teams. Ampadu, Rice, or someone else would allow Chelsea to seamlessly go between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 based on the opponent without changing a single player.

Rice is of course, Ampadu’s biggest threat. Chelsea is rumored to still be interested in the West Ham player and if he joins, he easily pushes Ampadu out of the side. Until then, the role could be Ampadu’s but that shadow will be looming over him until the window closes.