Scolari has not talked to Lampard
CHELSEA'S new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has
lined up exciting young Brazilian forward Robinho but his best
chance of landing him from Real Madrid hinges on Cristiano Ronaldo
leaving Manchester United.
Chelsea’s sporting
director Frank Arnesen met with Robinho’s agent, Vagner Ribeiro,
but a transfer is far from cut and dried. Scolari began his Chelsea
regime by signing Portugal international Deco and he wants
more flair in the shape of the dazzling Robinho.
Ribeiro is determined to
get the best move for the Real winger and claims he is better than
Ronaldo. “It's true that Chelsea are interested in signing
Robinho,” Ribeiro told Spanish sports daily AS. “They have been
after him for a while and there has been much more contact since
Scolari became the new Chelsea coach. “I met with Arnesen in London
and he confirmed that Chelsea wanted my player for next
season.”
The Spanish champions
are only keen to offload the player to free up cash to help buy
Ronaldo, but Ribeiro insists his client is as good as, if not
better than, the Portugal international. “Neither Robinho nor I
like the fact that Real Madrid can use him as part exchange in
their bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. “We don’t like this
attitude and we want Madrid to start valuing Robinho, because at
the moment they’re not. “Robinho is as good a player as Ronaldo or
better. The difference is Ronaldo reached the Champions League
final and Robinho didn’t. “But if Robinho had won such a title he
would be at the same level as Ronaldo.”
Scolari may have to bide
his time to find out if Real will make Robinho available but his
next problem centres on a current Chelsea thoroughbred. Frank
Lampard is apparently devastated and hurt by the total lack of
contact from Scolari and is on the verge of saying goodbye to
Chelsea. The fate of the England midfielder has been one of the
highest items on the agenda at Stamford Bridge this summer with
talks on a new contract deadlocked, and his old manager Jose
Mourinho openly admitting he wants to take him to Inter Milan.
Lampard, currently on
holiday in Italy, wanted face-to-face talks with Scolari before he
made his final decision on his future. But he has been left stunned
that there has been no telephone call from the Brazilian or
suggestion of a meeting – yet on Monday the new Chelsea boss
managed to complete his first signing with the
£8.5million capture of Portugal midfielder Deco.
Friends at the club
describe Lampard as “disillusioned”, after wavering in the past six
weeks following the death of his mother Pat and the support he
received then from the club and its fans.
A club source said last
night: “Frank is totally disillusioned by it all. If Scolari had
the time to approve the Deco deal, and if he really wanted Frank to
be the linchpin of his team, as has been said, then why has he not
contacted him?
“Frank feels completely
let down by the club.”
A club source added:
“Frank now feels that he is not wanted at Chelsea.”
The daily Express can
also reveal that at a meeting last Wednesday, Chelsea even
suggested to Lampard’s representatives that he play out the last
year of his contract at the club this season and then renegotiate
his deal next summer.
They are reluctant to
give a 30-year-old the kind of money he is demanding.