Chelsea manager Frank Lampard confirms Olivier Giroud and Dries Mertens stance

Frank Lampard has confirmed that there will be ‘no ins and no outs’ on transfer deadline day at Chelsea, confirming that Olivier Giroud will stay at the club and Dries Mertens will not be arriving.

The Blues were expected to be active in the transfer market this month after their ban meant they could not sign players over the summer.

Lampard had openly spoken about his desire to bring in new signings, highlighting the need to find a replacement for Eden Hazard, who left for Real Madrid at the end of last season.

However, no deals have been done and the Blues boss insists there will be no late activity before the 11pm deadline on Friday.

Asked about the potential arrival of Mertens, Lampard simply said, ‘No.’

On the future of Giroud, he was slightly more expansive, saying: ‘No. He has been incredible as a player and a man during this time. Will he leave? No. He trained today. No ins and no outs.

‘We all know there has been interest, I’ve sat here at every press conference and said “If it’s right for Olivier, for myself and the club” and he’s been impeccable in that period.

‘I’ve got huge respect for him as a player. The answer again is no, as in will he leave? No.’

As recently as last weekend Lampard had called on the Chelsea board to make signings before the end of the month.

‘My job is to work every day on the training ground to make the players better. The other part is looking at how we can move forward by bringing in players,’ he said.

‘We lost ground last summer and we need to make moves now to take us forward. I have a strong feeling of where we can improve personnel-wise to take us forward.

‘So for me it’s clear. The money of it is not my job but I have to be honest and truthful. Short-term recruitment is something we have to get right.’

Lampard insists he is not frustrated by the lack of signings, though, and appreciates quality new arrivals are difficult to come by.

‘I wouldn’t say frustrating because I’m very aware of how football is,’ he continued. ‘Some things are not in my control, my first thought is always what happens on the training pitch.

‘It’s clear we wanted to bring players in, I certainly wanted to bring players in, I think I made that pretty clear over the last few weeks and it hasn’t happened.’

Chelsea take on Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday in the 12.30pm kick-off.