Chelsea Transfers: Five Replacements For Frank Lampard

his career with the club is over. It's quite an undignified way to treat your record all time goalscorer, but then Chelsea never really have done "tact". Just ask Roberto di Matteo, booted out after winning the Champions League. With defender Ashley Cole also moving on, Petr Cech will be all that is left of the Stamford Bridge "old guard" as a new era is seemingly ushered in. Already exciting new prospects are plying their trade at Chelsea, such as Oscar, Hazard, Marin and Romeu, but there is still a feeling that Chelsea need to buy a replacement to fill the gap left by Lampard rather than delve into the fringe players. As Chelsea face up to the New Year without the prospect of Champions League football and cut adrift in the Premier League, that fact will need no overstating at all. Yes, Chelsea are building for a future now, but that won't come overnight, and so the purchase of one (or two) new midfielders to ease the transition between fringe player to first team regular for the likes of Marin and Romeu is important, to keep Chelsea as competitive as possible. Here are five midfielders who could help achieve just that. Click "Next" to continue.