Scolari went on to the world’s media and
spoke of Lamps’ staying unaware of the full extent of developments
that morning.
FRANK LAMPARD’S Chelsea career effectively came
to an end yesterday — in the same spectacular fashion he played for
the Stamford Bridge club.
Seven years, two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and
two league cups. And in 369 games for the Blues he scored 110
goals.
But during a six-hour meltdown, Lamps’ huge
contribution to Chelsea was thrown to the wind in a storm of
accusation and argument. And what should have been a parade for
Phil Scolari’s unveiling as their new boss quickly turned into a
conflict with one of the club’s pivotal players.
Here is how the day of drama
unfolded:
9.30am: Chelsea chief executive Peter
Kenyon informs the Lampard camp that Blues owner Roman Abramovich
will not give him the five-year deal he craves.
11.25am: Chelsea issue a statement on
their website confirming they have been contacted by Inter Milan.
But they claim there is no bid for Lamps — despite our back page
exclusive in yesterday’s Sun. They also state they will not
negotiate for the midfielder.
1.15pm: New boss Scolari introduces
himself to English football by claiming Lampard is ‘happy at
Chelsea and will stay for at least one year. Hopefully many’.
2.05pm: Inter president Massimo
Moratti speaks to Italian journalists in Milan refuting Chelsea’s
claim they have not made an official bid for Lamps and confirming
the Sun story was correct.
2.35pm: Lampard’s agent Steve Kutner
issues a statement contradicting Scolari’s claim, insisting the
player’s future ‘remains completely unresolved’.
3.15pm: After seeing Scolari’s version
of events on TV at the club training ground, Lamps goes to see
chief executive Kenyon in his office.
But Kenyon has not yet returned from the Press
conference venue two miles away.
3.54pm: Inter Milan fax a new bid of
£8million to Chelsea which club directors insist ‘will be
rejected’.
4.15pm: Lamps leaves Kenyon’s office
after a short meeting and speaks with Scolari. There is no
disagreement between the manager and his midfielder.
But as things stood last night, Chelsea and Lampard
were at the point of no return. The simple fact of the sorry matter
is Chelsea are gravely at risk of losing a player who has been
outstanding for them.
All for an amount of money billionaire Abramovich would
class as loose change. From his point of view, Lamps believes he
deserves a five-year deal on around £140,000-per-week, which would
see him end his illustrious career at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, however, are adamant that four years is the
maximum they will offer a player who has only just turned 30.
However, Blues skipper John Terry signed a five-year
£130k-per-week contract last summer.
But in the words of one Chelsea director: “JT is 27 and
will be virtually the same age as Frank when his current deal
expires. We are being realistic.” But Chelsea did award deals
similar to Terry’s to Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack.
Both players are older than Lampard and have not
achieved anywhere near as much for Chelsea as the England man.
Failure to reach an agreement on a new deal over the past two years
has made Lampard wonder how valued he is by the club.
Yesterday, he appeared to get an answer with a stick of
dynamite attached. On Monday, Scolari met Lamps and asked him if he
wanted to stay. That conversation was recounted by the Brazilian
yesterday. He said: “I like him as a player, as a person and I met
him on Monday. I asked him, ‘Frank, I’ve heard this, this and
this’. He said to me, ‘Boss, this, this, this and this, but I want
to stay’. I was happy.
“I told him I was happy that he stayed with us. I don’t
know for how long — that is not important for me — but I said I
want you here. He said, ‘I will stay and I am happy’.”
During the meeting, Scolari assured Lampard he would
tell Abramovich and Kenyon that they should award him five years
during a dinner meeting they had on Monday night.
Yesterday morning, however, Kutner was told that
Chelsea’s offer remained the same four years as had been previously
stated. That proposition was rejected and Chelsea then issued their
‘hands off’ statement to Inter apparently to further inflame the
situation.
Scolari was then shown off to the world’s media and
spoke of Lamps’ staying unaware of the full extent of developments
that morning. Lamps saw the comments on TV and spoke to the manager
later who explained that he had simply given his interpretation of
the situation along with his hope that Lampard would stay.
Chelsea, however, appear to have ulterior motives. A
bid of £8m from Inter was rejected. The standpoint from the club is
that they will not sell their star player to ex-boss Jose Mourinho.
After all, they already know how bad it will look if the ‘Special
One’ returns to the Bridge next season to defeat them. How much
worse would it be if Frank Lampard was dominating the midfield for
Inter?
Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti has described Frank
Lampard as a ‘champion’ and would welcome the Chelsea midfielder’s
arrival at the Nerazzurri club. Lampard is reportedly the No1
target of new Inter boss Mourinho, who enjoyed an excellent
relationship with the England player during his time in charge at
Stamford Bridge.
With Inter looking to secure a big-name signing to
celebrate their centenary year, a host of players have been linked
with the Milan club, who won their third consecutive Serie A league
title last season. And Argentine international Zanetti believes
Lampard would be the ideal candidate. He said: “I have played
against him only at international level and he is a true champion.
“He defends, attacks and shoots well. There are very few players
around who are as complete as he is.”
