Frank Lampard admits his previous playing relationship with Petr Cech has helped Chelsea flourish when coming up with a transfer plan.
The Blues have already made superb strides in the market, with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech being snapped up ahead of next season.
Discussions for Kai Havertz are also ongoing through Chelsea's chief negotiator Marina Granovskaia, with the Blues looking to strengthen throughout the squad.
While a lot of attention has been on Lampard's first season as head coach, it is also Cech's debut campaign as Chelsea's technical and performance adviser.
Cech has become a big part of Chelsea's future plans and helped Lampard map out where the Blues want to progress as a club.
And Lampard believes the previous relationship, being teammates through Chelsea's most successful period, has set the Blues up well.
“Yeah it helps a great deal," Lampard explained. "Taking this job on, one year at Derby and one year here, is those relationships. In terms of on the grass and on the training pitch and working with players and all around the game and how we prepare, I feel that’s somewhere where my playing experience helped me a huge amount because I was trying to take things in all the time.
"But relationships with people upstairs, they are different so I have to say I am very happy to have Petr here because I know him so well, because we get on well, because I trust and value his word and how we speak.
"There is a real honesty about how we work and how we can speak to each other. I trust that he’s been a winner and he knows what it takes to win and I think we have something in common over how we have a real desire to get to that.
"So, yeah, it’s felt like a strength for us this year. We will be judged, of course, on results as we move forwards but it will certainly not be for the want of trying that we want to bring success to the club.
"I have a very close relationship with Marina and with Petr. That relationship has been really good and it’s been a real strength. But it feels like a real strength in the camp that I can speak to Petr regularly.
“I can speak with Marina and work in a joined up way in taking the club forward."
