Terry desperate for Lampard to stay

Chelsea captain John Terry has paid tribute to Frank Lampard and admitted he is desperate for the midfielder to stay at Stamford Bridge.

There is doubt over Lampard’s future as his contract expires at the end of the season and he has yet to be offered a new deal.

The 34-year-old has underlined his continued importance to the team by taking his Chelsea goal tally to 199 – three short of Bobby Tambling’s club record.

And Terry declared: “He’s got so much more to give and he’s an inspiration for everyone at this football club. He’s the best trainer by a million miles – he works so hard.

“For him to get that many goals, kids can look and that and say he’s in the right position but believe me, it’s [down to] a lot of hard work before and after training and working on his strengths and weaknesses.

“We hope that he’s here [next season] and, if not, he’s got years ahead.

“I’m not going to entertain the thought of him elsewhere as I don’t want to think about it.”

Chelsea’s apparent reluctance to offer Lampard another contract has riled fans, who have also vented their anger towards interim manager Rafael Benitez.

And there has been speculation about Terry’s own future given his recent absence from the staring line-up.

But the former England skipper, who dismissed recent reports of a rift between himself and Benitez as “rubbish”, has insisted that it is up to the players to lift the gloom over Stamford Bridge.

He said: “The fans have their opinion. The most important thing is the team winning games.

“It’s not about Rafa, it’s not about me, it’s not about Lamps – it’s not about anybody. It’s about this football club winning games.

“If we’re doing that the fans will be happy. That’s all they want to see.

“If that’s with me in the side, great. If it’s not, I’ll be their biggest supporter and I’ll sit there and support the team like the fans will.”

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