Former Chelsea star Frank Lampard has revealed his belief that the club should hand John Terry a new deal this summer.
The defensive stalwart is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season with his current deal set to expire and has confirmed that there will be no renewal.
However, Lampard disagrees with the split and believes that his former teammate should stay on and end his playing career with the Blues before moving into a coaching position.
“I would like to see them offer it,” Lampard told Shortlist magazine when asked about Terry’s contract situation. “I think it’s obvious John wants it and I think he can still stay at Chelsea.
“Of course I’m friends with John, but purely from a football perspective and from what he’s done on the pitch, and as a starting player in all their big and important games when he’s started them this season, I think he’s been their best defender this year.”
Chelsea have since insisted that dialogue between the two parties will remain open between now and the end of the campaign, which suggests that there is still a possibility that Terry will sign a contract extension.
The former England international struggled along with the rest of his teammates in the first half of the season, which in turn saw Jose Mourinho sacked in December. However, with performances and results improving under interim boss Guus Hiddink, Terry may yet still play his way into a new deal.
“What John offers is a link with the fans and an appreciation of the young players who he would want to help come through,” Lampard added.
“He’s Mr. Chelsea. Those are the sorts of players you need at the club. Without telling the club what to do, I think Chelsea are looking to change the old nucleus we had, what with myself, Ashley [Cole], Didier [Drogba] and Petr [Cech] gone, John’s almost the last one standing.
“But I don’t think he’s going to be an issue with that — he’ll even help the transition with helping the younger players. I don’t think Chelsea will make decisions for the wrong reasons but if I was there, that’s the message I’d be saying.”
The New York City FC star added that Terry was the “best defender I’ve ever played with”, and would be willing to pay his plane fare to get him across the pond if he does leave Chelsea.