Chelsea’s changing face: Why Frank Lampard’s shift to youth is driven by necessity rather than reshaped culture

Before the club were placed under a transfer ban, even when suspicions over Maurizio Sarri’s departure lingered, there were few plans to reintegrate many of the academy graduates now set to feature in the first-team

It is easy to sell and celebrate a cultural shift when you’re backed into a corner with no choice but to make one. Likewise, it’s easy to trumpet silver linings when the sky is otherwise grey. So, after Chelsea finally agreed a five-year contract with Callum Hudson-Odoi after months of protracted negotiations, the retention of the club’s young talisman while under a transfer ban has been treated with a sense of giddy joy as smothering as this English summer.

After entering the January transfer window with little desire to move out of his parents’ home, let alone swap countries, the 18-year-old’s doubts of playing time were amplified and he steadily became convinced that joining Bayern Munich was the right next step. Chelsea’s ability to persuade him otherwise - aided by the void of starlight left by Eden Hazard and a one-to-one sit down with Frank Lampard - represents a significant boost to both internal and external moral that cannot be underestimated.

It’s been hailed as Chelsea’s deal of the summer – a better boost than any new signing might have brought. Quite rightly, since Hudson-Odoi is held in the same esteem as Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden by those within club and England set-ups, with his value still to increase exponentially. A price that will far outweigh the £100,000-per-week-plus contract Chelsea have effectively been strong-armed into offering him.

And while all that is all quite true, the other face to Hudson-Odoi’s decision to stay is that it’s being saluted as the cap of a new dawn at Chelsea. That under Lampard – a manager who wants to bring youngsters through and is seen as an idol by all the club’s academy players – Chelsea are about to undergo a sweeping identity change and this is the tip of the iceberg, where remnants of a pre-Abramovich era can be restored. A homegrown connection which was eventually replaced by Russian glamour, trophies and gilded pockets. And, yes, on the surface, that is how it seems. In truth, this sea change is in fact situational and temporary and, although it’s romantic to selectively wish otherwise, driven purely by necessity rather than want.

Senior figures at Chelsea were uncertain whether the club would actually receive a transfer ban until the very day it was administered. At that stage, outside of finalising new contracts for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and, of course, Hudson-Odoi, there was little impetus to bring through a crop of youth, even with the probable departure of Maurizio Sarri already looming.

Before Lampard’s arrival, Mason Mount was considered an elite prospect, but there had been little urgency to award him a new contract and another loan seemed the best next step - this time at a Premier League club – with him not quite yet seen as ready to challenge the likes of Ross Barkley for a place in the starting eleven.

Chelsea will allow their younger generation to flourish this season (Getty/The Independent)

After Reece James’ standout season on loan at Wigan, which saw the young full-back’s stock rise immeasurably, Brighton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Newcastle all made approaches for the 19-year-old. Behind the scenes, interest in Germany was also stoked with a high-profile loan move touted as his pathway for this season. Instead, he will now almost certainly be used as cover for Cesar Azpilicueta with Davide Zappacosta pushing for a move to Italy and Torino enacting an option-to-buy in Ola Aina’s contract. Chelsea have already signalled their intention to offer James a new and improved contract at the club, despite signing him to a new deal before leaving for Wigan last summer.

Fikayo Tomori is set to leave on loan, after spending last season under Lampard at Derby, and yet there was still a hesitation over whether he should remain with the first-team squad, despite the player not being seen as ready to challenge the likes of Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Andreas Christensen and now even Kurt Zouma, who may still be denied a permanent move to Everton.

Highly touted Reece James is now set to play a first-team role under Frank Lampard (AFP/Getty)

It’s not in any way to say those players should not be integrated into the first-team. Mount and James have long-been viewed as having the potential to break into the squad. It is simply that this was never a pre-determined plan, nor a fundamental change of ideology pioneered by Lampard and agreed upon by the hierarchy; it’s a scenario engineered entirely out of being left with little other option.

The transfer ban has, though, allowed Chelsea to concentrate their efforts on improving the efficiency of their far-reaching loan structure, which had previously left academy prospects stranded anywhere between Arnhem and middle Andromeda. Jake Clarke Salter, Ethan Ampadu and Matt Miazga have already completed loan moves in time to join pre-season. Dujon Sterling and Conor Gallagher are expected to complete moves imminently, while Charly Musonda has returned to Vitesse and still has the ability to deliver on his potential and resurrect his value after two-bleak years.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has agreed a new five-year contract (Getty)

That the club has been able to focus all their capabilities on combing through that academy haystack and accelerate and implement a clear strategy around their younger players – whether seen as future first-team players or not – has been to the envy of the likes of Arsenal, who have seen a number of academy graduates stagnate on the fringes or attempt to force through moves – such as 18-year-old Xavier Amaechi is now attempting.

So this transfer ban has brought about something of a double-edged sword for Chelsea and one that can be easy to selectively misperceive. There has not been a shift in the club’s policies, rather they are adjusting to the sheer force of necessity. It is by no means a change of culture. Not yet anyway. Nevertheless, there’s a renewed positive feeling about the club spearheaded by Hudson-Odoi, who had up until now been a catalyst and representation for unrest.

There are by no means any guarantees Chelsea won’t return to their gunslinging ways the minute the transfer ban is lifted. But, finally, for now, there is a chance for the club’s young players to convince otherwise. And, at this temperamental time for the club, and after years of yearning for young talents to shine through, that may ultimately be able to have a more significant and lasting impact than any swathe of big-money signings.