Chelsea stalwart Frank Lampard has announced that he is to leave the club, with fans and pundits alike expressing their respect for the 35-year-old Premier League legend.

Read more – Twitter erupts after news of Lampard’s Chelsea exit

Lampard, whose Chelsea career spanned an impressive, trophy-laden 13 years, is now said to be considering offers from the MLS, and thanked everyone connected to the club this afternoon in a heartfelt statement.

His long-standing teammate and friend Petr Cech has replied in kind, posting a message of thanks on Twitter, coupled with a photo of the pair celebrating one of many Chelsea victories:

It has been a privilege to have played with a true cfc legend and one of the most influential PL players ever pic.twitter.com/nxmE584YoQ

— Petr Cech (@PetrCech) June 2, 2014

The pair’s first ever season together back in 2004/05 saw the Blues win their first Premier League since 1955, and since then they have experienced stunning success in Blue, collecting a further two league titles, a European Cup and a Europa League title to name a few.

Lampard will be sorely missed by his teammates, with fans all over the world now lamenting his departure. What does the future hold for the England man, and who will Chelsea replace him with

What do you think Non-Chelsea fans, will it be weird seeing the Blues start next season without the long-serving midfield man