Lamps: "Sort It Out"

When someone is the undoubted star of a footballing season, usually they are rewarded in the form of a better contract, if their current deal is not up to scratch. That is the position Frank Lampard finds himself in.

Earning around half as much as the likes of Juan Veron, Hernan Crespo and Claude Makelele must be hard for Lamps to take. And most Chelsea fans can sympathise with his position.

Unfortunately, Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon doesn't seem to have the fan's interests at heart. So we find ourselves in the current stalemate.

Lamps revealed "I want to stay at Chelsea, that's definite in my mind. Things have to be right and I hope they will be.

"The sooner the better as I'm going to Euro 2004 and I would love to have it tied up before I'm starting to play games."

Lampard also wants to know who will be managing Chelsea next season. Speculation regarding Claudio Ranieri's job died down for a week or so but, following last night's Champions League final, it's hit a peak.

And Lampard, quite rightly, wants to know what is happening: "I can't say enough about what Claudio has done for me, I'm much more of a developed player and character now.

"But the club is the be-all and end-all and the sad fact is that managers and players all move on in time. The sad fact has also been that it's lingered over us all season and made it a little bit difficult though. A good thing would be to get it sorted either way now."