Frank Lampard: We should be turning local lads into stars

Simon Johnson
04.06.09

Frank Lampard has urged Chelsea's hierarchy to turn their attention to signing local talent as they prepare to spend millions more on superstars.

New boss Carlo Ancelotti has already been linked with high-profile moves for AC Milan pair Kaka and Alexandre Pato, Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery and Valencia's David Villa.

Astonishing figures out today show that the wage bill at Stamford Bridge rocketed to £172million last season, the highest in the Premier League.

Chelsea spend 81 per cent of their income on wages, a figure that would be unsustainable without the backing of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. Lampard is adamant that more has to be done to attract young English talent to the club.

"I don't want to sound controversial, but we have to work harder, in my opinion, at getting local boys from parts of England, where I grew up in Essex and up north," he told Chelsea TV.

"We need to work hard with the boys to make them want to come and be at Chelsea. I don't think we have to put lots of dollar signs in front of their faces. Sometimes I just think we have to get them in, work hard on them to make them develop.

"I'd love to see that and I think that's what sets some other academies apart and what they are doing better than us, to be honest."

Director of youth development Frank Arnesen joined from Tottenham in a deal which cost £5m in compensation four years ago and was expected to find talent to put in the first team.

But despite Chelsea spending millions on a number of players from other team's youth programmes, they are still waiting for one to become a regular in the first team.

It was hoped the academy would improve their chances of becoming self-sufficient by 2010.

So far Arnesen's record has not been impressive having been behind the move which saw Leeds duo Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo arrive in a deal which cost the club around £5m in compensation in 2007 and both are still waiting to make their debuts.

Chelsea also spent just over £5m on Franco di Santo, Miroslav Stoch and Scott Sinclair over the past three years, but they have just one start between them.

The club are expected to complete the signing of one of Arnesen's long-term targets in striker Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City this summer after being given permission to speak to the 19-year-old, who is out of contract.

But Sturridge won't come cheap either after City refused to meet his £65,000-a-week pay demands.

The best prospect is Under-21 international Michael Mancienne, but he was at the club before Arnesen arrived and he is also finding first-team opportunities hard to come by.