Frank Lampard says he is keen to secure an ‘arrangement’ with Chelsea’s out-of-contract stars to remain with the club until the end of the delayed Premier League season.
Premier League stars out-of-contract this summer are facing an uncertain future at present following the suspension of football amid the coronavirus crisis, with the contract’s of several leading names set to expire before the conclusion of the delayed season.
Willian, Olivier Giroud and Pedro are amongst the notable Chelsea players who are set to become free agents this summer, though Lampard is hopeful of coming to an agreement with his players following new rules introduced by the Premier League – handing clubs an opportunity to mutually agree short-term extensions in order to complete the suspended campaign – providing it is done by June 23.
Speaking on the issue, Lampard told Chelsea’s official website: “We have big players in that position so that’s obviously something I’m looking at very carefully.
“The ones out of contract here have been great servants for the club and actually have a lot of feeling for the club, but of course they will be concerned about themselves in terms of how they are now, and if pre-season is rushed they’ll want to make sure they’re alright.
“So it’s going to have to be something we look at. Hopefully we can have that arrangement so they can stay with us because if we play again I would love the squad to look as it’s looked all season, but we’ll have to see how that works.”
Lampard also discussed his plans ahead of a potential return to training, with Premier League clubs set to vote today on whether to approve plans to return to training in small groups this week.
Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham is amongst a host of players to have expressed his concerns over a return to football in recent weeks, citing his fears over potentially passing on the virus to vulnerable members of his family.
Lampard admits the restrictions that will be in place have made it ‘difficult’ to plan ahead for training, and insists he is determined to ‘get it right’ and make sure his players are ‘comfortable’ ahead of a potential restart of the Premier League.
“It’s been a job for us as staff to plan how phase one will look because it will be quite different due to the restrictions on how we can work,” Lampard added.
“It’s good for the players because they will be wanting to get back training in the right conditions; we know it’s difficult circumstances for everyone so it’s going to be a challenge to make sure that we get it right.
“Our job from the coaching side is to make sure we’re careful with the players. The first steps will have to be very careful but all managers will be thinking a similar thing.
“You can’t just tell them we’re going in this direction because this is something that’s affected everyone and their families.
“Football has been put in its place. Everyone wants to get back playing, we all miss it, but we need to know the players are comfortable.”
Read – Raheem Sterling joins the growing list to warn against a rushed return to Premier League action
See also – Teams that should have won the Champions League: Mourinho’s first Chelsea side
