Lampard declined to offer the disgraced goalkeeper any assurances about his future at Stamford Bridge – but made it clear that Edward Mendy remains his No.1.
Kepa – the world’s most expensive goalkeeper – is in desperate need of first-team football as he wants to be part of Spain’s Euros team this summer.
But his outlook is grim at Chelsea, where he has been reduced to Mendy’s replacement – starting just one of their last 18 games.
It was telling that Lampard refused to be shot at the £ 71.6million Spain international ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup third round match against Morecambe, which could see him start for the first time since Rubber Champions League against Krasnodar last month.
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“Well at the moment he is our player and I think the situation is clear,” said the Chelsea manager. “Edou came in, he regularly plays as number one for us.
“And when Kepa arrived he did well, and he trained really well. His attitude around the place has been brilliant.
“So I won’t be attracted to that one for the moment, he’s our player, we’ll see how January goes.
“But I don’t mean to hint at what might or might not be.”
Lampard wants to downsize his squad during this window, with a host of the senior players pushed to the sidelines after his £ 220million spending spree last summer.
Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso, Emerson and Fikayo Tomori have all been reduced to partial roles this season.
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Olivier Giroud had also been frustrated by his lack of playing time, before returning to the team in recent months, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was given limited opportunities.
Lampard said: “When you have a team as big as us, it means I probably have more non-starters than starters for every game of our team. It is only in human nature that players find this difficult. I found it difficult.
“When you have that many you are asking for something that’s impossible for them to have a happy face every day and work all week and not show up for business.
“I think you would say the same in any job. In difficult times, the challenges are always high for me and the players. If there is a bit of an edge at these times, then well, let people show their advantage and show that they deserve to be on the team.
“If they train the right way and act the right way, they will join the team and stay with the team. It’s an integral part of having a great team.
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