Chelsea captain John Terry has waded into the debate over Frank Lampard's future, revealing the squad are desperate for the England midfielder to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard, 34, is contracted to the Blues until the end of the season and the lack of any news about an extension has been a source of much discussion in and outside the club. Lampard has scored 13 times this term despite seeing his playing time become more limited than in previous campaigns, leaving him on 199 goals for the side he joined in 2001.
Chelsea fans appear united in their desire to see Lampard remain on the books after his existing deal expires and Terry was unambiguous about his own views as club captain. "Frank has so much more to give and he has been an inspiration to everyone at the club," Terry told newspaper reporters.
"He has got years ahead of him and we all hope they will be spent here at Chelsea. We all hope that's here, but if not he has certainly got years ahead of him.
"I am not even going to entertain the idea of him playing for another club."
Although Lampard is two years older than Terry, the former England captain sees enough of the midfield man up close to be sure he can maintain his standards for the foreseeable future.
"Even at his age, he is still the best trainer by a million miles," continued Terry
"He works so hard and for him to get that many goals, kids can look at that and think: 'he is just in the right position'.
"But believe me it is a lot of hard work before and after training, working on his strengths and his weaknesses.
"I think that you can see he has always been very fit naturally anyway. That's despite the hard work he puts in before and after training."
