Left out: Frank Lampard (centre) was benched at Napoli
on Tuesday
Chelsea outcast Frank Lampard will resist Andre
Villas-Boas' attempts to force him out of the club because of a
£1.5million loyalty bonus in his
contract.
As the dressing room disharmony deepened, with defender
Branislav Ivanovic calling for warring factions to unite behind
manager Villas-Boas, Sportsmail can reveal details of
Lampard's extravagant bonus.
The 33-year-old negotiated the payment - to be paid at the
end of his deal in June 2013 - when he signed a £130,000-a-week
contract in 2008.
Lampard was one of three high-profile players axed by
Villas-Boas for the Champions League tie against Napoli, which
Chelsea lost 3-1.
Ashley Cole and Michael Essien were also dropped in a move
widely interpreted as exposing the players Villas-Boas has publicly
admitted are 'not with him'.
Club owner Roman Abramovich resisted a quick firing after
Tuesday's defeat in Naples but one source said he is 'not a happy
man'.
Rafa Benitez has been sounded out as a possible temporary
replacement.
Villas-Boas did not dispute reports of a confrontation
with Cole before the game in Italy, when the England left back is
alleged to have accused the manager of hindering the team with his
tactics.
More painful viewing? Andre Villas-Boas was at the
Etihad Stadium to watch Manchester City beat his former side Porto
on Wednesday night
Lampard also sought an explanation for his
omission on Tuesday but Ivanovic issued a plea to his team-mates to
put aside their differences with Villas-Boas and pull
together to save their season.
'Everybody has to believe still and try to do the right
things,' said the Serbian defender. 'This is more about Chelsea.
That is more important than the relationship between managers
and players.
'The manager who decides who plays is doing his job. We
have to do our job. Everyone has to try to make this position
better because we have a lot of things wrong. But this is
Chelsea. We have to solve these things.
'For me, this is the hardest moment in my four years here.
We didn't win a lot of games and the confidence is not in the best
way. But it is only by working hard and trying to do things well,
keep going and be positive.'
As for the manager, Ivanovic simply added: 'I can say he
will stay.'
Lampard has been at Chelsea for over 10 years and is one
of the highest paid and most respected players in the dressing
room.
Chelsea accepted Lampard's bonus deal in the 2008 contract
talks because he argued it would cost the club millions to replace
him.
At the time, former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wanted
to take the midfielder to Inter Milan, but instead Lampard signed
the most lucrative deal of his career.
The loyalty bonus was based on Lampard's long service and
his existing deal, at the time worth £100,000 a week, was running
down.
Lampard will pick up the bonus only if he sees out the
five-year deal.
Rallying call: Branislav Ivanovic (right) has said AVB
will stay on at Chelsea
Villas-Boas claimed that Lampard's agent Steve
Kutner has approached the club about an extension to his client's
contract, but the Chelsea manager said he had not made a decision
on the midfielder's future.
That surprised Lampard, despite his uneasy relationship
with Villas-Boas and the fact that there has been little dialogue
between the pair of late.
Villas-Boas originally scheduled training for his players
at 11am on Wednesday, but he cancelled the session in what some
players interpreted as an attempt to take the sting out of a
volatile situation by allowing 24 hours for
contemplation.
Instead, the players were given a day off after flying
back from Naples through the night.
The manager travelled north to watch Manchester City, who
play Chelsea next month.
