Chelsea raised hopes of qualifying for the Champions League after agreeing to an extension of the short-term contract with Willian and Pedro.
Frank Lampard had worried about losing two of his more experienced players with free transfers before the end of the late Premier League season, with high-level clubs given until Tuesday evening to convince players whose contracts would expire on the 30th. June to continue playing, but it is clear that Chelsea held productive talks with the players before the deadline.
Willian does not want to end his seven-year spell in West London prematurely, although his long-term future remains undecided. The 31-year-old Brazilian, who has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham, has seen his request for a new three-year deal rejected. However Willian started Chelsea’s victory over Aston Villa on Sunday and was an important player for Lampard, who made it clear that he doesn’t want to lose him.
Lampard also praised Pedro’s attitude, although there had been doubts about the Spaniard’s position because he agreed to join Roma this summer. The problem for Pedro, an unused substitute against Villa, was whether he could jeopardize his move with a two-year contract by picking up an injury. .
Chelsea, which will host Manchester City on Thursday, are fourth in the Premier League with eight games left and will renew their attack when RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech join next season. However, the Lampard side will face a heavy workload in the coming weeks and the manager wants to be able to rotate. If Willian and Pedro had refused to sign, they would not have been eligible to play for Chelsea after the English Cup quarter-final against Leicester on Sunday.
