What happened to Frank Lampard's 7 Chelsea signings as star's contract 'torn up'

For the entirety of Frank Lampard’s first season at Chelsea, he was forced to deal with a transfer embargo hanging over the club that prevented him from making any signings. So when that ban was lifted in the 2020 summer transfer window, the Blues icon took advantage of their financial power and splurged £220million on seven new signings.

A large chunk of those funds were raised from the sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, and with his army of Cobham talents, Lampard was tipped to take Chelsea to the next level.

Four years later, only of his signings remains at the club and Lampard himself was sacked in January 2021, before returning in a disastrous interim stint in 2022-23. Lampard is now waiting for his next job after most recently leaving Everton, but what happened to his seven signings after they all joined Chelsea?

Malang Sarr – Free, OGC Nice

Chelsea reportedly parted ways with defender Malang Sarr in July 2024 after his contract at Stamford Bridge was torn up.

The Frenchman moved to west London four years ago after leaving Nice but featured just 21 times for the club in a disastrous spell compared to Winston Bogarde’s infamous spell.

Sarr earned £100,000 a week throughout the entirety of his deal and after unsuccessful loans with Porto and Monaco, he is set for a move to RC Lens in Ligue 1, where he can hopefully get a fresh start.

Thiago Silva – Free, PSG

“Oh, Thiago Silva!” goes the song at Stamford Bridge, and long may it continue after the Brazilian’s departure. What was supposed to be a mere stop-gap signing for Chelsea became a love story as Silva’s committed and brave performances won over the fans, despite costing nothing to sign him from PSG in 2020.

Many believed the Brazilian was way past his best when he was signed at the age of 35, but the opposite was true. The evergreen centre-back quickly became a figurehead in the Chelsea backline and was pivotal to their Champions League success.

His initial one-year contract was renewed a further three times as Chelsea simply couldn’t let him go. His frailties finally came to the fore in the 2023-24 season, but even at the age of 39, he is still going strong after returning to his native Brazil with Fluminense.

Lampard’s legacy may be how he brought through the Cobham graduates, but his decision to sign Silva is one that will go down in the club’s history as one of the greatest.

Edouard Mendy – £22m, Rennes

At his highest point, Mendy was rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the world as the Senegalese played a critical role in their Champions League triumph in 2020-21. Unfortunately for Lampard, he had been sacked five months prior to that success.

The Englishman had the foresight to use his technical director Petr Cech’s expertise to bring in Mendy from Rennes for a modest fee in 2020. The towering goalkeeper quickly replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga was his number one choice and became a fan’s favourite for his solid shot-stopping skills and towering claims – something his Spanish team-mate had trouble with.

Mendy’s injury in the summer of 2022 meant that Arrizabalaga returned between the sticks under Thomas Tuchel and Mendy struggled to win back his place under Graham Potter, who ultimately preferred Arrizabalaga over Mendy too.

The club did not hesitate when they received a £17m bid from Al-Ahli, and Mendy has made 35 appearances for the Saudi Arabian outfit.

Hakim Ziyech – £37m, Ajax

Chelsea sprung a surprise when they pulled off a coup by landing Ajax star Ziyech in February 2020, having starred in the Champions League for the Eredivisie side on their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018-19.

Lampard was keen to recruit a creative player to inject some ingenuity into the midfield and final third, and Ziyech was viewed as an ideal fit. But the player Chelsea spent £37m to sign was far from different from the one who had dominated Dutch football with his wizardly left foot.

The Moroccan made 107 appearances in all competitions for the west London club and only scored 14 goals in that time. Aside from a few individual highlights against Tottenham and Manchester City, Ziyech was plagued by injury a lot of the time and when he did play, he largely flattered to deceive.

Ziyech’s career hit an all-time low when he was left stranded by the club in PSG’s office on deadline day in January 2023, before he was forced to return to the club. Now 31, Chelsea agreed to release him from his contract a year early in order for Ziyech to secure a permanent move to Turkish club Galatasaray after a successful loan spell in 2023-24.

Timo Werner – £47.5m, RB Leipzig

Beating Bayern Munich and Liverpool to the signing of Werner might be one of Lampard’s greatest achievements in the transfer market, especially considering the German was hot property at the time.

Werner had bagged 28 goals in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig before heading to Stamford Bridge, yet it was a case of a lack of fortune and form in front of goal that ultimately cost him, with only 22 goals in 87 appearances during his two-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

He was sold back to Leipzig just over half the fee, around £25m, to revitialised his stalled career. But Werner lost his magic touch in front of goal and was loaned to Tottenham, where he is set to begin his second season on loan.

Ben Chilwell – £50m, Leicester

Another success story under Lampard, Chilwell has gone from potential star to Stamford Bridge mainstay.

At the height of his powers, Chilwell’s marauding runs down the left flank were dangerous and Lampard’s successor Tuchel almost built his 3-4-3 formation around the full-back to accentuate his abilities.

However, serious injuries to his hamstring and knee have created doubts over the 27-year-old’s long-term fitness and for the first time in his career, the England international is facing uncertainty over his future due to the playing style of new coach Enzo Maresca.

But Chilwell’s time at Chelsea ensures that he is viewed as a decent addition to any squad in the Premier League.

Kai Havertz – £72m, Bayer Leverkusen

Staying in north London now – but this time on the red side – is Kai Havertz. The German became Chelsea’s club-record signing he arrived in a £72m deal from Bayer Leverkusen and with Werner turned the Chelsea attack into one of the most deadly in the Premier League, at least on paper.

The reality was slighly different. While Havertz contributed arguably the most of all of Lampard’s attacking signings, he enjoyed his best moments under Tuchel, including scoring the winner in a Champions League final in 2021.

He left the Blues in 2023 in a £65m deal for Arsenal after finding the net 32 times in 139 appearances, giving Chelsea a decent return on their initial investment. And after a slow start under Mikel Arteta, Havertz is regarded as a key member of the Gooners’ squad.