Sense or sentiment

Frank Lampard is set to become Chelsea's all-time leading scorer, but should he get a new deal?

Frank Lampard was in record-breaking mood for Chelsea on Sunday as he notched his 26th FA Cup goal for the Stamford Bridge club in the fourth round replay victory over Brentford, surpassing the mark previously held by Bobby Tambling. The veteran midfielder is now just three goals behind 1960s legend Tambling's all-time Stamford Bridge scoring record of 202 and it is surely just a matter of time before he surpasses that standard to etch his name ever more indelibly into the club's history books. The 34-year-old is now in the 12th season of a glorious career with the West London giants, having arrived in an £11million move from West Ham in the summer of 2001, and in each of the last 10 campaigns he has reached double figures in the Premier League. During his Chelsea career, Lampard has secured three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and captained the club to their maiden UEFA Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich in May last year. Looking back, it would appear inexplicable as to why Lampard, whose current contract will expire in the summer, could be allowed to walk away. But football is not about looking back, particularly at the very highest level. The question should not be what has Lampard done for the club in the past, but what will he bring to the side in the future?

Impressive

There have been suggestions that Blues owner Roman Abramovich is ready to perform a U-turn over the decision not to offer Lampard a new deal in the wake of his recent scoring exploits this season, reports that the club would not confirm or deny, with interim manager Rafa Benitez unable or unwilling to expand on the matter. "I don't try to avoid the issue," Benitez said, before trying to avoid the issue. "I was very clear in the past and I will be very clear now and in the future: Frank is doing a great job for us, he's scoring goals, he's playing well, he's a good professional, he's working very hard. That's all I can say, because I am the coach." But despite his undeniably impressive recent goal-scoring form and career statistics which will guarantee a place among the greats of the game, would Chelsea be right to offer Lampard an extension?