Lampard warns Tottenham: They must cope with title race pressure

The Chelsea midfielder believes Spurs can mount a challenge for top spot after their summer spending spree, but is unsure how the inexperience squad will handle the higher stakes

Frank Lampard believes Tottenham are capable of mounting a title challenge, but only if they can cope with the high-stakes pressure.

Chelsea were held by their London rivals on Saturday, with Gylfi Sigurdsson's opener being cancelled out by John Terry before Fernando Torres' sending off stunted the visitors' charge for all three points.

And Lampard, who has won the Premier League three times, believes Spurs' transfer spree can ignite a chase for England's top prize - a situation he can relate to after 12 years at big-spending Chelsea.

"They’re a very good team," Lampard told reporters. "They are going to be looking at winning the league.

"That’s what you have to do when you spend that money. We’ve lived for the last eight years with that pressure, year in year out, and that’s what Tottenham have to deal with if they want to win the league.

"You have to get a level of consistency and it’s not easy. It's a difficult league."

Tottenham currently sit third in the Premier League standings, level on points with second-placed Liverpool after six matches - two points better off than Chelsea.