Mourinho eyes new trio and deals for Lampard, Terry
LONDON: Coach Jose Mourinho wants Chelsea to finalise new contracts for captain John Terry and midfielder Frank Lampard as he prepares his FA Cup winners for next season.
Terry and Lampard, who helped Chelsea win Saturday's Wembley final with champions Manchester United, are both looking for new deals and Mourinho is keen to have the matter settled.
"It's time for that," he told reporters. "It's time for people to speak and to have a calm dialogue.
"You're speaking about players with a passion for the club and for whom the club have a passion.
"These two boys can say they have won everything in English football in only three years and they feel they want more, they want to repeat some, they want new titles and I think they're happy in this club."
Mourinho is also looking to sign three new players for the coming season, in particular with his title challengers losing players during next year's African Nations Cup in Ghana.
Mourinho will strengthen the rearguard after William Gallas and Robert Huth moved last year, leaving him with only two central defenders, Ricardo Carvalho and Terry, plus Khalid Boulahrouz, who can play in the centre or at right back.
He will be without Nigeria's John Obi Mikel, fellow midfielder Michael Essien of Ghana and Ivory Coast strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou during the Nations Cup, which is being held in Ghana from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10.
"We need a central defender, because we don't have (one), we need another midfielder, especially because we will lose Essien and Mikel for the African Cup and we need a striker because we will lose Didier and Salomon," Mourinho said.
"If we don't have so many injuries and if we can get three players to give a good balance to the team, I think we'll be in a good position. And we don't need to spend big money."
Mourinho said he had learned about his own personal resilience in a season hit by injuries on the pitch and widespread reports of a rift off it with club owner Roman Abramovich, prompting speculation he could leave Chelsea.
Agencies
(China Daily 05/22/2007 page23)
