‘Chelsea are going to be dangerous in title race’ – Lampard has so many ‘good options’, says Townsend

Talk of a Premier League title challenge being pieced together at Stamford Bridge is starting to gather pace, with Andy Townsend admitting that “Chelsea are going to be dangerous”.

The Blues are expected to compete for the grandest prize English football has to offer every time they open a top-flight campaign.

Big spending from owner Roman Abramovich has allowed those in west London to build squads down the years that have been littered with world-class talent.

The chequebook was dusted off again over the summer, with Frank Lampard freed to bolster his ranks from back to front.

Considerable value has been found in new recruits, with the likes of Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy slotting seamlessly into the fold.

A nine-game unbeaten run has been put together across all competitions, with a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday briefly lifting Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table.

Townsend expects the Blues to remain in contention throughout a 2020-21 season that is shaping up to be considerably more competitive than recent title tussles.

Lampard has every reason to believe that his side can sustain a challenge, with the firepower already at their disposal set to be further bolstered over the coming weeks by returns to action from the likes of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz.

“Chelsea are going to be dangerous,” former Blues midfielder Townsend told Premier League Productions.

“They have got so many good options in those forward positions.

“If you think about any team when you are struggling in the Premier League, normally when you are struggling you are thinking ‘we can’t score a goal, we haven’t got enough pace in the forward areas, we haven’t got enough options’. Chelsea have got it everywhere – even full-backs are flying into the last third.

“It’s now just about Frank keeping them all right, keeping them happy, as best he can, and let them go and strut their stuff. They are very good.”

Chelsea’s next outing will see them turn their attention to Champions League matters, as they prepare to take in a trip to Rennes on Tuesday, while their next domestic fixture will see them play host to old adversaries Tottenham, who are now managed by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho and lead the way in the Premier League through nine games.