Frank Lampard was 'interested' in bringing Wojciech Szczesny to Chelsea last summer

REVEALED: Frank Lampard ‘was interested in signing Wojciech Szczesny’ from Juventus last summer as the then-Chelsea boss searched for a new No 1 to replace unfancied £72m man Kepa Arrizabalaga

  • Frank Lampard eventually signed Edouard Mendy from Rennes for £22million
  • The old Chelsea boss had been keen for a new No 1 keeper at Stamford Bridge 
  • And his search saw him consider the ex-Arsenal goalie Wojciech Szczesny

Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard turned to Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny last summer in his search to bring in a new No 1 goalkeeper.

That’s according to The Telegraph, who say that Szczesny is completely settled in Italy and would not have been interested in a return to London, where he played for Arsenal with mixed fortunes from 2009-17.

Lampard’s search for a trusted goalkeeper eventually ended with the signing of Edouard Mendy from Rennes, with the Senegal stopper arriving in a £22million deal.

Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny was of interest to Frank Lampard and Chelsea last summer

Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny was of interest to Frank Lampard and Chelsea last summer

The goalkeeping position had long been an issue of contention when Lampard was at Chelsea

The goalkeeping position had long been an issue of contention when Lampard was at Chelsea

Goalkeeping had proven an issue for Lampard in his first and only full season as the manager of Chelsea. 

Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to assure Lampard that he was the long-term No 1 at Stamford Bridge, despite Chelsea signing him for a world record £72m under Maurizio Sarri, Lampard’s predecessor.

Mendy has since offered more consistency between the sticks and it was Chelsea’s woes in other areas of the pitch that proved Lampard’s undoing and he was axed by the club in January.

Chelsea haven’t looked back under Thomas Tuchel, the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund coach who replaced him. At present, Tuchel is unbeaten in his first 14 games as Chelsea manager.

Szczesny, meanwhile, has had one of his less enjoyable seasons at Juventus, where pressure is intensifying upon manager Andrea Pirlo.

Chelsea eventually signed Edouard Mendy from French side Rennes in a £22million transfer

Chelsea eventually signed Edouard Mendy from French side Rennes in a £22million transfer

Kepa Arrizabalaga, signed for £72m before Lampard arrived, didn't convince him as his No 1

Kepa Arrizabalaga, signed for £72m before Lampard arrived, didn’t convince him as his No 1 

And it led Lampard to consider a move to bring ex-Arsenal man Szczesny back to London

And it led Lampard to consider a move to bring ex-Arsenal man Szczesny back to London

Juve were dumped out of the Champions League in the last-16 phase by Porto and are currently languishing 10 points off top spot in pursuit of their 10th successive Serie A title triumph.

Since arriving at Juve in 2017, Szczesny has won three Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia. 

Even though a move to Chelsea wasn’t of interest to him, he will be back in London on Wednesday night on international duty with Poland. They face England at Wembley in World Cup qualifying.

source: dailymail.co.uk