Every word Frank Lampard just said on Chelsea pressure, Brighton, Ziyech injury and Havertz role

"Hakim Ziyech took an injury to his knee against Brighton in the friendly game, so he won't be fit for Brighton.

"We hope it's a matter of weeks, but we'll have to see on that one a little bit.

"Ben Chilwell is working towards fitness, he won't be fit for Brighton, he's developed and improved and is going in right direction.

"Thiago Silva is now in London but won't be training with us until the weekend, so I doubt very much he'll be in contention for the Brighton game.

"Billy Gilmour is obviously a longer-term injury, he'll be out for a couple months more after the operation he had."

Fourth last season, investment this summer so is it a statement and is there more pressure on you?

"The pressure on me to do better than last season should be standard, regardless of anything. And that comes with the territory of this job.

"I don't want to talk about us making a statement, I understand the players brought in will obviously get a lot of talk about us.

"But for me it was more about, last year we were very happy to achieve a finish in the Champions League positions, we know we've been on a transfer ban from the year before, and the fact we were very joined-up on the business we wanted to do, I think we've done it in a good way.

"We should be excited, but we should also have a slight word of caution that we need to work with the new players, and my job is to work with the new players to get them settled into the team and get the team working as well as possible.

"We want to move in an upwards direction, of course we do, and the work starts now.

"The work started recently unfortunately it's been a broken pre-season for everyone, and we brought in new players across that pre-season, you have to work very hard very quickly, and we'll do that."

Expected now to challenge for the title?

"I'm not interested in other people; other people can talk about whether we challenge or not.

"For me, we finished a lot of points behind Liverpool and Manchester City in the last two seasons, as has everybody else, that's the way that the league has gone.

"So we have to first look at closing the gap, and build confidence, by getting the team working well together.

"I'm not jumping ahead and making any predictions on us."

douard Mendy, is that deal about to be over the line?

"It's a situation I don't want to be drawn on. Mendy is a Rennes player so it's a non-starter for me to talk about at the minute."

Michy Batshuayi and Fikayo Tomori, are they heading out to Palace and Everton?

"I think with Michy it's an ongoing situation and it's not confirmed yet, so I won't say too much about that but I think we're all aware that the conversation is happening.

"With Fikayo no I'm not aware of those conversations getting to any point where I'm going to be talking about that.

"Fikayo trained with us today and is in contention for the Brighton game, and that's where we're at."

Should you be winning the league with the signings this summer?

"I understand that and I hope Chelsea fans are excited because I am not going to lie, we have brought in a high level of player that we feel will improve our squad.

"At the same time, I also know what it takes to win Premier League. I know that as a player and I know when I look around. When you look at the teams that have dominated in recent years, and your eyes are drawn to Liverpool and Manchester City, they are a story that has run over a few years.

"At their own pace at different times but in terms of recruitment and coaching on the training pitch, it then relates onto the pitch. It doesn't work that simply bringing in players mean you win on the pitch. It doesn't work that way so we hope we will improve. I know expectations will be there. I won't hide away from that.

"My expectations are in on a different level from last year because we are on a different situation. We want to improve but we won't jump too far ahead of ourselves."

No pressure on you last year, more this year?

"I am surprised if you thought I was under no pressure last year. If you follow us around as closely as you do and the job of a Chelsea manager, then I don't think you can ever go through a season of no pressure.

"No matter what the strange circumstances are, the expectation to deliver is always there. No matter what goes on at the club, there will always be pressures. I thrive off those pressures and I enjoy them. I understand the different nature of pressure coming this year. It is why I love doing it.

"I didn't come into this job to fight for fourth place, although I know last year that it was an achievement and one of our goals that we set out to. I didn't come in to just bring academy players into the first-team and say I made debuts for this many players, I came here to win.

"Any club at our level has to try and tick the major boxes and recruitment is a huge part of that. Last year we weren't able to recruit in a big way. I wasn't able to bring in players I felt might be helpful for the way I wanted to go and the style I wanted to play. This year, I have been able to have some impact on that.

"But the club has, more importantly, been able to make decisions to bring in players. It changes the landscape, yes, but I am excited by that as much as feeling the pressure. I am ready to go and work."

Last season Liverpool started well, you need to do the same to challenge?

"Of course it is, we have to start well and we know Brighton and what a good team they are. We go away from home to their stadium and I have also mention that we have had a non-pre-season. Most of our players joined in the last few days or had a week of the international break.

"There are only 36 days between Bayern Munich and kick-off against Brighton. That has been challenging for us, as it has been for lots of clubs. I am not making excuses. We need to be ready and we want to win the match."

Tomori, is there something you want to see specifically for him to get back into the team?

“There is nothing specific which I want him to improve, all I want him to do is work hard and show the work ethic he showed at Derby and for major parts of last season.

“He knows, and I hope everyone knows, that I am fair in terms of how I try to pick the team. With four centre-backs last year, two will be unhappy pretty much every week. It is up to them to try to make that starting place their own. Those are the rules at a club like Chelsea.”

Mason Mount not unhappy or threatened, young players must welcome the challenge of new players?

“I saw the story about Mason Mount and I know it was absolutely fabricated from someone, particularly if it came from the German end. I am not sure if he has any relatives out there or friends he can talk to, but it was a strange angle for that to have come from Mason.

“What I do know is with the young players who have got into the team, and the way football is at a club like Chelsea, if you are a young player who has a foot in and the club bring in a player who you hope raises levels, then the player should, and hopefully will, raise their levels and everybody improves.

"I will be fair on how I pick the team. I won’t pick the team on whether you came from the academy, I will pick the team on how I think it should be picked every week, how they train and how they have been performing.“Everybody should be positive going into the season. Training as well as they can and worry about the unity of the squad and how we go as a team.”

Kai Havertz, what is his best position?

“Kai with his qualities is flexible to play in different positions, I haven’t changed my view in a few days of seeing him.

“I think we can use his versatility. One of the pluses when I spoke to Kai is that he is very comfortable. He is not that ‘I want to play in this position, this is all I want’. He is potentially very happy to help the team, he can give us quality in different areas so it is not one that we have to nail down.”

“Yeah I am very happy to have them both back. They both trained since yesterday, their first day fully training with the team. They are in contention for Monday.

“I have to be careful. I have a squad to pick from, but the way they are training and the attitude they have come back with looks like they are over those injuries.

“I will just have to make sure I manage them back in in their own ways.”