says is ‘very close’ to forcing his way back into the starting XI and feels the club’s new recruits have been hampered by the team’s struggles.
The 22-year-old arrived from Monaco in January and initially made a bright start to his career at Stamford Bridge, collecting three clean sheets in his first three starts.
But he was left out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages and was used more sparingly in the latter days of Graham Potter’s tenure, while interim boss Lampard has only played him once in a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
Chelsea are yet to keep a clean sheet under Lampard and shipped five goals in their last two matches against Brentford and Arsenal – and, in truth, it could have been much more.
Many fans are calling for Badiashile to be given a run in the side in the final five matches of the campaign and Lampard has suggested the Frenchman is knocking on the door for a bigger role.
Asked if Badiashile is close to earning a spot in his starting XI, Lampard replied: ‘Yeah, very close.
‘He couldn’t play in the Champions League for me. He played against Brighton, which is a difficult match – probably for everybody.
‘But of course he’s close, you know, and in competition with Thiago [Silva] and Wesley [Fofana] and Trevoh [Chalobah] in that area of the pitch. He’s very close.
‘He’s training well and I think he’s come here – as a lot of the players have come – from a different league at a young-ish age into the Premier League.
‘I think it’s understandable to have moments of maybe gametime and maybe moments of not.
‘To a degree you’re a developing player but probably more just [a case of] finding your feet in this league as young players.
‘So I think that’s one of the things that we’re finding this season, in a normal case maybe a club like Chelsea or others, these sort of players come in amongst big stability in the squad and the team and have their time and find their feet.
‘And at the moment that’s not the case. So I think to give credit to those players themselves, that’s not easy to take some of that responsibility on their shoulders.
‘But what they are all doing is trying to work and keep going and I’m here – and we’re here, as staff – to support that.’
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