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When one thinks of Chelsea Football Club certain names come to mind: Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, John Terry, Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard. The one of these that has come the closest to being disassociated with the club is vice-captain Frank Lampard. The debate that now rages about West London is: is Frank Lampard worth his demand? The answer: yes.

By all accounts Lamps seeks to paid on a scale even or slightly higher than that accorded [tag]Andriy Shevchenko[/tag] or [tag]Michael Ballack[/tag]. This means that he would see somewhere in the range of £130,000-140,000 a week. (And you thought your job paid well). But why should he make that kind of money? There are three things that Lamps brings that set him apart as a player worth the enormous sum it will require to keep him.

Defence

In defence the back four of [tag]Chelsea[/tag] can rest assured that they will always have help racing back from the front. Any time that the opposition begins to push the ball back into the defending third, Frank retreats from his spot in the middle of the attack to provide invaluable support. This frees the Chelsea wing mids to roam farther forward and use their speed to create opportunities for Drogba, Sheva and whomever else is on the point of attack. Without Lampard dropping so deep in defence, this would not be possible.

The other benefit of Lampard dropping so deep on the pitch is that he can receive the ball in a position to lead the break. One need look no further than the FA Cup final to see how instrumental Lampard can be bringing the ball forward from defence. Though the goal came very late in the game, Lamps was in constant motion for the entire time, forcing the ball forward after he had dropped very deep in order to retrieve it.

Endurance

The next thing that sets Lampard apart from the crowd is his incredible endurance. Frank played over 97% of the time for Chelsea this year. 97%. That is an astounding number. Lamps did not do this in the midst of an easy season either. Remember, as I am sure you do, that the Blues were in pursuit of the fabled quad for most of the club record games he played. Frank also played a stunning 164 consecutive Premiership games before falling ill prior to a match with Manchester City. Lampard gives [tag]Jose Mourinho[/tag] the confidence that comes from being able to pencil in his starting center mid for the entire season right this moment. Think that isn’t worth the money? Look to the rest of the EPL. With the exception of Gerrard, who else will play the entire season, with the unwavering support of his manager, in the middle of the field? Players move from right to left, from attack to defence, from the bench to the XI. Frank remains set in the middle of the park, ready to play every single day.

Goals

Now it is time for a more visceral response to this question. [tag]Frank Lampard[/tag] is worth the money because he scores goals. Simplistic isn’t it? Yet part of what makes Lamps such a deadly weapon for Chelsea is the fact that he scores, and frequently, for a midfielder. Prior to a certain prancing, flopping mid from Manchester dancing his way to the record this year, Frank had scored the most goals of any midfielder in a Premiership season. Frank continued to score this most recent season. And of course there is the constant clamour that there is more to a game of football than goals, which is true. Knowing that though, how many times has Lamps brought you from your seat with a screamer from 30 yards away? Sure, there is more to it than goals, but goals are what change games. The ability to score, changes opposing shapes. Didier Drogba deals with fewer defenders in the box because the defence must always be aware of Lampard running free at the top. This contribution is both inestimable and immeasurable, but don’t take that mean it is not important. If Frank is not directly finding an attacker with a pass, he is running free, creating havoc in a defence that would prefer to deal with only one or two strikers.

Still not convinced? Well it is possible you never will be. Maybe you love speed and creativity (though I submit that the FA Cup was a rather nice piece of skill). Maybe you thrill to the sight of a center mid who can run at defenders and leave them quaking and waking up late at night, pouring sweat. Or maybe you love someone who works hard every day he comes to the Bridge, maybe you like a player that never shirks his duty and takes the pitch for every match, maybe you like someone who handles duties on both ends of the pitch and never once complains. If so, look no farther than Frank Lampard. And that is why [tag]Roman Abramovich[/tag] should sign the contract with a smile on his bearded face.

This post was contributed by Blue Winner