Ethan Ampadu is likely to join Fulham on loan from parent club Chelsea, according to Michael Bailey of The Athletic.
The Wales international was previously a loan target for Daniel Farke’s Norwich City ahead of next season. However, following the Canaries’ relegation from the Premier League, Chelsea are expected to loan the 19-year-old to fellow London club Fulham after Scott Parker led the Cottagers back into the top flight.
Ethan Ampadu Expected to Join Fulham
Why Ampadu is a Player in Demand
The Exeter-born Welshman is a player Chelsea will be keeping a keen eye on as he continues his development.
Primarily seen as a defensive-midfielder, Ampadu is also capable of operating as a centre-back. Both of these roles are areas Chelsea will need to strengthen in the near future.
In midfield, N’Golo Kante has had his share of injury problems this season, and the club are open to offers for former-Napoli man Jorginho this summer.
Defensively, Frank Lampard is yet to settle on a preferred centre-back pairing, and no other club in the top half of the Premier League conceded as many goals as Chelsea this season. Their 14 goals conceded in the Champions League in 2019/20 was also an unwanted new record. Overall, the Blues have conceded 79 goals in 55 games across all competitions this season.
Having a perceived utility player like Ampadu to call upon further down the line will, therefore, be an important option for Lampard to have. As such, the club are keen to give the player more top-flight experience next season and will look to loan him to a fellow Premier League side if they can.
Ampadu has already racked up 13 appearances for Wales but has found opportunities at club level harder to come by. He spent the 2019/20 season on loan at German club RB Leipzig, but only made three appearances for the Bundesliga side.
Lampard’s Chelsea Still Very Much a Work in Progress
Following Chelsea’s 7-1 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-16, Frank Lampard was quick to point out that his side are in a transition period that is heading in the right direction.
As a player, Lampard was a three-time Premier League champion and a Champions League winner with Chelsea, and he knows the Blues are currently way off reaching the levels seen in his playing days.
“It’s not a slight work in progress, it is a work in progress. It is not the norm for Chelsea. In the last 20 years we had players, teams with prime [Eden] Hazard and [Diego] Costa, prime [Petr] Cech, [John] Terry and [Didier] Drogba. Competing for the Premier League title year on year, getting to finals and semi-finals regularly. We know that’s not the case [now],” the manager told BT Sport.
“We lost the best player in the league pretty much in Eden Hazard. People would not normally commend coming fourth for Chelsea, we want more but the feeling is we have achieved something with the group we have. Now is the time to think where we can improve.”
Chelsea have signed attacking duo Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner so far this summer. The club also remain in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over the transfer of highly-rated German international Kai Havertz.
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