Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is of the opinion that tying down Antonio Conte at the club with a new deal will be the club’s biggest summer signing.
Although the Italian has signalled his eagerness to stay next season, the club is yet to extend his current deal which expires in 2019.
Antonio would be their most important signing – for me he was their man of the season,’ Lampard said. ‘You talk about player of the year, I’m all for giving the players credit but because it was such a dramatic uplift from the year before I think you have to give him huge credit. ‘You saw the system change and how he made them play in that formation, it worked well. ‘I think he’s a huge signing for them. I have no doubts, I don’t know but I’m pretty confident he’ll be there and they’ll bring in players to play in the system he wants to play.’ Romelu Lukaku is reportedly set to fill in Diego Costa’s stead after Conte made it clear to the Spanish international that he is no longer in his plans. Lukaku joined Chelsea in 2011 as an 18-year-old but was given limited chances in the first team and eventually moved to Merseyside three years later. ‘Chelsea bought that player as a youngster and maybe it was too early or whether he didn’t get the chances I don’t know,’ Lampard said. ‘But I love his attitude, the way he plays and very determined. I remember training with him and he was always practising and he wanted to score goals. I respect lads like that. ‘He deserves the best and if Costa does move on and they want to get something like for like in the style of a big front man who score goals then Lukaku has proved he can do that.’
