Jose Mourinho has lamented Frank Lampard’s decision to
backtrack on a promise to join Inter, claiming that seeing the
midfielder sign a new deal at Chelsea left him with ‘a bitter taste
in the mouth’.
According to the former Chelsea manager, Lampard promised he
would join his former boss at San Siro, either in the summer
transfer window or at the end of the season when his previous
contract was due to expire.
Inter indeed signalled their interest in Lampard when tabling a
formal offer for the England international in June but that bid of
a reported £7.95 million was swiftly rejected by the club and the
player subsequently signed a new contract to remain at Stamford
Bridge.
Mourinho, who turned to former Portsmouth midfielder Sulley
Muntari as an alternative, has admitted that the turn of events
came as an unwelcome development, but he harbours no real ill
feeling towards the man who played a significant role in Chelsea’s
title triumphs in 2005 and 2006.
“Frank is in my heart for everything we have done together,”
Mourinho told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“But I'm left with a bitter taste in the mouth. He said to me 'I
will go with you to Inter, if it's not possible now, then in a year
we will be together'.
“Afterwards he changed his mind.
“What would have disillusioned me is if he had gone to another
club. He renewed with Chelsea. Okay, friends as before.”