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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said qualification for the Champions League will help him to attract new players to strengthen his squad. The former Blues star, in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, secured a place in Europe's top competition with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. - Check the final Premier League standings
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- What did you miss? The latest from Europe's top leagues "In brutal honesty I would say yes. [That is] not to say exactly where that will go, because that's not a conversation today off the back of the game straight away," he said. Chelsea face Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday and then have the second-leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich, in which they trail 3-0. "We know that the economics of the Champions League are big, we know that," Lampard added. "We know the prestige, top players want to play in the Champions League. "But if we're looking to recruit in certain areas then I think it may help... We'll try to better ourselves in any way possible." Lampard, however, warned that Chelsea cannot get carried away with a top-four finish if they are to bridge the gap with Manchester City and Liverpool next season. "I suppose at Chelsea we have to be careful getting excited by top-four finishes, but coming into the job, I don't think a lot of people put us in that bracket," Lampard told Sky Sports. - FA Cup final (stream LIVE on ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET in the U.S.). "We know where we are at, it is a progress and can we get better and now we've secured top four can we look to improve to close that gap? "The gap is there for a reason and there because Manchester City and Liverpool have taken it to different levels." Lampard also confirmed that Spanish winger Pedro is leaving the Premier League club. The former Barcelona player has been with Chelsea for four seasons and was part of the Premier League title winning side in 2017. The 32-year-old also won an FA Cup and Europa League title. "Pedro has played his last game for the club. The lads have just pretty much serenaded him in the changing room and rightly so because of the career he has had generally and for this club," said Lampard. "It was his last Premier League game, but the impact he has had here is huge. I want to say a big thanks to Peds and wish him well as he goes forward. He is here for the remainder of games, but a big player of the club leaves and the spirit of the club I saw afterwards was pretty special," he added.
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