What a difference a new manager makes. Luiz Felipe Scolari put in an impressive performance on Tuesday in front of the press pack, revealing that he was looking to trim the squad down from 32 to 25. However, this would not include the sale of either Frank Lampard or Didier Drogba by the sounds of it, despite the former having contract issues with the club. The poor lamb has only been offered a four-year-deal instead of five and is only getting £105k a week at the moment.
The Guardian report that the new Blues coach is a big fan of Drogba and, despite the Ivorian’s noises about leaving the Bridge throughout the season, it looks like he’ll get plenty of love from the Brazilian.
He claimed that he had heard encouraging noises from Lampard, who has 12 months to run on his £105,000-a-week contract. “He said to me, ‘Boss, this, this and this’, but I want to stay,” said Scolari, who added that Lampard would be the vice-captain to John Terry. “I said, ‘I want you here and happy’ and he said, ‘I stay and I am happy’. Now, it’s a business decision for Lampard and the club. He has one year minimum with us.”
Scolari also wants Didier Drogba to stay, despite overtures from Inter and Milan. “I am not 100% happy with him, I am 200%,” he said. “Two seasons ago I voted for Drogba as the best player in the world and I think three seasons ago, I chose John Terry. Now they are with me, I am happy.”
Chelsea fans, you must be delighted to hear that Lamps and Deputy Drog will be sticking around, especially as they have been such important players for the Blues in recent seasons. Whether or not the England midfielder will stay after next season remains to be seen, especially with Jose Mourinho remaining adamant that he’ll get his man in a year’s time.