Frank Lampard certainly made quite an impression following his first training session as Chelsea head coach.
One player who was able to seal a move to Chelsea before the ban came into effect was midfielder Mateo Kovacic as his loan deal from Real Madrid was made permanent before Lampard was officially appointed.
And the Croatia international was immediately impressed with Lampard’s methods on the training pitch.
“It’s amazing to have such a club legend as our coach and we are really enjoying pre-season so far,” he said. “It’s been tough, training is quite intense, but the work has been good.
“Myself and the other players are enjoying the work though because although the sessions are intense and tough like I said, we also see a lot of the ball which is what we like.
“It’s nice working under the head coach and we are all looking forward to learning from him and making him and the club proud.”
Kovacic has certainly enjoyed playing under Lampard this season. In and out of the team under Sarri 12 months ago, he was one of the first names on the teamsheet prior to the football season coming to a halt. Having added a few goals to his game, Kovacic is a leading contender to scoop the club’s Player of the Year award at the end of the campaign.