It has not been the season Chelsea fans would have been hoping for in the summer so far this year.

With nine games played in the Premier League, Enzo Maresca’s side are currently sat in ninth, with four wins, two draws and three losses to their name.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom as the club are without several of their star players, and for the most part, those that are fit have looked impressive.

Moreover, one star in particular is starting to embody some of the qualities that the legendary Frank Lampard had, and now, it’s not Moises Caicedo.

Chelsea's greatest players in the Premier League

Chelsea have been blessed with some of the greatest players in Premier League history, and while there are so many to choose from, there are usually three that stand out above the rest.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The third player on that list is none other than the iconic Didier Drogba.

The Ivorian legend joined the Blues from Marseille in the summer of 2004, left in 2012, and then rejoined for a year in July 2014.

During his time with the club, the sensational striker racked up 164 goals and 82 assists in 381 games and had a real habit of scoring crucial goals in finals.

By the time he left Stamford Bridge for the second time, the 47-year-old had won four league titles, one Champions League, three league cups and four FA Cups.

Now, this is where it might get a little controversial, as while he could easily go down as the club’s greatest player in the Premier League era, Lampard comes in second on this list.

The game-changing midfielder joined the club in 2001 and finally left in 2014, with a tally of 211 goals and 149 assists in 648 games and one UCL, one Europa League, three leagues, two league cups and four FA Cups.

Moreover, the 106-capped Englishman remains the top-scoring midfielder in the league’s history and has more than his fair share of iconic strikes for the West Londoners.

Finally, when it comes to the number one player for Chelsea in the PL era, it’s impossible to ignore Mr Chelsea himself, John Terry.

The legendary defender made 717 appearances for the side between 1998 and 2017, and despite playing as a centre-back, racked up a tally of 67 goals and 27 assists.

Moreover, his trophy cabinet is the most impressive of them all, containing five league titles, five FA Cups, one UCL, one UEL and three League Cups.

Appearances

381

648

717

Goals

164

211

67

Assists

82

149

27

PL Titles

4

3

5

UCLs

1

1

1

UELs

0

1

1

FA Cups

4

4

5

League Cups

3

2

3

However, while Terry remains the greatest Chelsea player of the modern era, the legend being emulated by one of Maresca’s current players is Lampard.

The Chelsea player emulating Lampard

Now, there will be plenty of you who’d make the assumption that the player in question is Caicedo.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

After all, while he’s not as attacking as Lampard was, the Ecuadorian is a sensational midfielder who has a brilliant strike on him.

However, the current Chelsea star who is starting to emulate Lampard’s game is Reece James.

The first significant area where the 25-year-old overlaps with the Blues legend is leadership.

He was named club captain in the summer of 2023, at just 23 years old, and since then has fought tooth and nail to overcome constant injury problems and is now consistently demonstrating that he has what it takes to lead this squad.

Moreover, thanks to his coming up through the academy, he has a closer connection to the fans, which is something the legendary midfielder also had during his time at the club, even though he came up through West Ham United’s Rush Green.

Furthermore, so long as he remains fit, he now feels like a shoo-in for that right-back position in England’s World Cup squad, and could therefore go on to become as important to the Three Lions as Lampard was during his day.

With that said, the Redbridge-born monster could also see himself pick up some minutes in the middle of the park, as he’s no stranger to filling in there for the West Londoners, thanks largely to his having a decent shot on and sensational delivery on him.

Now, he’s never going to be as prolific a goalscorer as the former Blues star was, but that ability to whip a ball into the mixer and cause chaos is something he certainly shares with him.

Finally, aside from a loan spell with Wigan Athletic, the “joke of a footballer,” as dubbed by reporter Felix Johnston, has spent his entire career with the Pensioners, already racking up an impressive tally of 205 appearances.

Therefore, so long as he keeps performing and staying fit, he could end up finishing his career with a huge number of games played for the Blues and become a legend himself, just like Lampard.

Ultimately, there is a long way to go, but in James, Chelsea have an international superstar who could end up joining the pantheon of greats who have come before him.