Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho said Chelsea’s spending in the run-up to the 2020-21 season has increased pressure on manager Frank Lampard to deliver the Premier League title.
Chelsea spent over £ 200 million to bring in Edouard Mendy, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, among others, giving them an immediate shot at Lampard’s second year at the helm.
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Mourinho, whose Spurs side will face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, said he had experienced similar pressure as he led the title-winning teams at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
“If you’re a favorite, you know why,” Mourinho said Friday. “You have to accept that and you have to deal with that kind of pressure and responsibility.
“I was with clubs that were, shall we say, champions in the market because of their strong investments. I had to deal with that pressure. So now it’s not up to me to deal with that pressure, but to others.”
Lampard, who won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup while playing for Chelsea under Mourinho between 2004 and 2007, played down the suggestion of a split between him and his former coach.
“We’ve always had a good relationship,” said Lampard.
“When we are managers of big clubs that are rivals, that changes the relationship. Not in a bad way – I have no problem with him.”
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