Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has insisted that Frank Lampard should keep Olivier Giroud, Willian and Pedro at the club as their contracts look set to expire.
As things stand, Giroud (33), Willian (31) and Pedro (32) will all become free agents this summer when their respective deals run down, and so it remains to be seen if agreements can be reached on renewals before then.
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Lampard has done a brilliant job in giving the club’s youngsters a chance to impress and they’ve rewarded him with impressive displays and crucial development to keep the Blues in contention for their objectives this season.
However, a balance in any squad is vital and the experienced players at his disposal have certainly played their part too to offer them guidance and help on and off the pitch.
With that in mind, Cole has insisted that Chelsea should look to keep the veteran trio named above and extend their contracts as they will have an important part to play moving forward. Although, he has noted that the three stalwarts need to accept that they won’t necessarily have prominent roles.
“Rightly so, we’ve credited the young players at Chelsea because they’ve come through, burst onto the scene and been amazing,” he is quoted as saying by the Metro. “But Giroud, Willian and Pedro are three top class players who have been really massive for the club, particularly Willian, who’s a club legend, the players and the fans love him.
“I hope they can hang onto that experience – if they want to be part of this new, exciting team that they’re building.
“If they can accept that role where they’re coming in – that they might not play as much as they used to but they’re helping blood an era which could be as good as any era in the club’s history – then there’s a role to play for all of them. I think they’re all world class players and it would be tough for any club to replace those three.”
Time will tell if Lampard agrees, and perhaps the more complicated issue is whether or not the three players in question can reach an agreement with Chelsea on personal terms to stay on.
Nevertheless, it’s difficult to disagree with Cole as while Lampard will hope to bring in reinforcements this summer, he’ll also need plenty of quality depth to ensure that they can compete on multiple fronts.
That said, if keeping the trio named above hinders his hopes of making new signings, then the situation changes and exits would certainly make more sense to help them improve and compete at the top level.