Chelsea have boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League after agreeing a short-term contract extensions with Willian and Pedro.
Frank Lampard had been fretting about losing two of his most experienced players on free transfers before the end of the delayed Premier League season, with top-flight clubs given until Tuesday evening to convince players whose contracts were due to expire on 30 June to play on, but it is understood that Chelsea held productive talks with the players before the deadline.
Willian does not want to bring a premature end to his seven-year spell in west London, though 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 has been an important player for Lampard, who has made it clear that he does not want to lose him.
Lampard has also praised Pedro’s attitude, though there had been doubts over the Spaniard’s position because he has agreed to join Roma this summer. The issue for Pedro, an unused substitute against Villa, was whether he could jeopardise his move on a two-year deal by picking up an injury. .
Chelsea, who host Manchester City on Thursday, are fourth in the Premier League with eight games left and will freshen up their attack when RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech join next season. However Lampard’s side 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 have been ineligible to play for Chelsea after the FA Cup quarter-final away against Leicester on Sunday.