Frank Lampard insists that he will have the final say over Chelsea's transfers in January but is not expecting the Blues board to be a pushover.
After the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled to halve the club's transfer ban last week, it means that the Blues will be allowed to bring in new players next month.
It will be a big test for Lampard as it will be the first opportunity for him to splash Roman Abramovich's cash in order to boost squad numbers, should he wish to.
Lampard's predecessors in Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri often hinted at unrest when it came to the transfer market, suggesting that they did not get the players they asked for.
However, the current Blues boss and a club legend, believes he will get the final say, but that he won't be pushing his luck too much.
"Yes, but then if I say I want Mbappe, Ronaldo and Messi for my front three I might get knocked back," Lampard joked.
"I wouldn’t say that, but it’s obviously a balance where I can put forward a recommendation and have an open conversation with the owner and hope we move forward in the right direction. I’m very open about that.
"My biggest thing here is how hard can we work on the training ground because I know we have a good squad, that’s my main concern.
"Of course when it comes to recruitment I want to have a big say in it and we are very open."
There have already been several names linked with a move to the Blues, including Ben Chilwell, Nathan Ake, Wilfried Zaha and Jadon Sancho.
Lampard has suggested before that he doesn't want to just bring in a player who doesn't fit the mould of what he is trying to build at Stamford Bridge.
And the Blues boss expanded on what qualities he wants to bring in to help boost what he has already.
"Work ethic," Lampard added. "I think a desire to run. A capacity to run and then a desire to do it, because they are not always the same thing.
"A will to win and to be successful at the club. Of course we want to sign talented players, that’s obvious, but I think that’s a huge thing for me because if you want to look at it, and people keep talking about balance and don’t upset the squad, then we want people to come here with a real intention to be a success."
