MX23RW : Monday, February 3 21:01:58| >> :600:281367:281367:

Frank Lampard: 'No ins or outs at Chelsea on deadline day'

Frank Lampard: 'No ins or outs at Chelsea on deadline day'
© Reuters
The French striker had been linked with Tottenham and Inter Milan but looks set to remain at Stamford Bridge.

Frank Lampard has confirmed Olivier Giroud will remain at Stamford Bridge as he does not expect Chelsea to make any signings before the close of the transfer window.

The Blues boss hailed the France striker's "impeccable" conduct during a turbulent January window.

Scotching the chances of the Blues recruiting Napoli's Dries Mertens or Paris St Germain's Edinson Cavani, Lampard said that means Giroud will stay at Chelsea.

Olivier Giroud looks set to stick with Chelsea for the rest of the season
Olivier Giroud looks set to stick with Chelsea for the rest of the season (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Giroud had the chance to move to Tottenham or Inter Milan, but despite his not moving Lampard insisted the 33-year-old still has a big role to play for the Blues this term.

Asked if Chelsea were close to recruiting Mertens from Napoli, Lampard said: "No. The window is probably 95 per cent shut for us.

"So the answer will probably be no to the players I'm guessing you'll be asking about."

World Cup-winning striker Giroud has fallen down the Stamford Bridge pecking order, with England hotshot Tammy Abraham already bagging 13 Premier League goals this term.

Chelsea were always willing to let Giroud leave in the January window, but only if they could recruit a direct replacement.

Chelsea had been linked with Dries Mertens, right
Chelsea had been linked with Dries Mertens, right (Martin Rickett/PA)

And after being thwarted on a number of targets, Lampard now believes Giroud will refocus on the task in hand with Chelsea.

"Will he leave? No... no ins means no outs," said Lampard.

"Olivier Giroud in this window has been incredible as a professional and as a man.

"We all know there's been interest and I've sat here at every press conference and said it could happen but only if it worked for all parties, so the club and the player.

"He's been impeccable in that period and I've got huge respect for him as a man and a player."

Tammy Abraham could be asked to play through the pain barrier at Leicester
Tammy Abraham could be asked to play through the pain barrier at Leicester (John Walton/PA)

Abraham could yet shake off his ankle injury in time to lead Chelsea's line in Saturday's Premier League clash at Leicester.

The 22-year-old hobbled off the pitch at the end of Chelsea's 2-2 Premier League draw with Arsenal, and missed the FA Cup victory at Hull.

But the former Aston Villa loanee trained on Friday and could yet be fit for the King Power Stadium trip.

"He's trained today and felt OK, but we need to see if there's a reaction," said Lampard.

"It's a pain injury. We'll test him in the morning. But he did get out there today and that's good in the longer term."

body check tags ::

Click here for more stories about Olivier Giroud

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
New Instagram promo
Olivier Giroud in action for Chelsea on April 3, 2019
Read Next:
Lazio chief in London to wrap up Giroud deal?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool25241060154573
2Manchester CityMan City25163665293651
3Leicester CityLeicester25154654262849
4Chelsea2512584334941
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs2510784032837
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd259972623336
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd259883629735
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2581163532335
9Everton2596103137-633
10Arsenal2561363234-231
11Burnley2594122838-1031
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2587102436-1231
13Southampton2594123146-1531
14Crystal Palace257992229-730
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2568113037-726
16Bournemouth2575132538-1326
17Aston Villa2574143247-1525
18West Ham UnitedWest Ham2566133043-1324
19Watford2558122339-1623
20Norwich CityNorwich2546152447-2318

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!