Lampard
BIG PHIL SCOLARI will put his arm around Frank
Lampard and tell him: Chelsea love you more than
Mourinho.
SunSport can reveal the new Blues boss plans
face-to-face talks with Lamps as soon as Portugal’s interest in
Euro 2008 is over.
And Scolari will tell Lampard to ignore Inter Milan,
who have announced the England midfielder is their No1 target.
Inter’s interest in Lampard went sky-high once former
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho took over at the San Siro.
But Scolari has had a long talk with Blues and Portugal
centre-half Ricardo Carvalho and the coach wants to build a team
around Lampard.
A source in the Portugal camp revealed: “Scolari is a
shrewd operator and has done his homework on the players he has
inherited at Chelsea.
“He knows all about Lampard’s contract situation and
his personal circumstances at the end of last season.
“But he wants him to be his main man in midfield and
enjoy the challenge of working with a new coach.
“Phil knows that Lampard has been crucial to Chelsea’s
success under Mourinho and wants him to be part of the new
era.”
Inter president Massimo Moratti admitted yesterday that
the England midfielder is their top priority this summer.
Moratti said: “We like Lampard and he’s our No1
objective. Mourinho likes Lampard a lot. We all know that he’s a
great player. I think there has been contact with Chelsea but I
don’t know yet.”
SunSport understands Chelsea have rebuffed Inter’s
approach.
And they will not entertain a bid until they have
spoken to Lampard about a new deal, which is unlikely to happen
before the beginning of July.
Lampard’s current contract sees his wages increase to
£131,000 per week next season.
That will make him joint top earner at Stamford Bridge,
alongside skipper John Terry.
Any new deal will have to take that figure as a
starting point.
While Mourinho and Scolari could become involved in a
fight for Lampard, the Special One has backed Big Phil’s decision
to join Chelsea.
Some critics have claimed Scolari has harmed Portugal’s
bid for Euro 2008 glory by announcing he is off.
But Mourinho declared: “Who dares criticise Portugal’s
coach?
“Would any worker presented with a fantastic offer of
work say: ‘I don’t want to, I love my job a lot and I am not
interested in change even if it triples my pay?’
“How can a superclub like Chelsea be publicly without a
coach for any longer?
“For me everything was normal and even if voices are
raised if Portugal are eliminated, I think Scolari acted
naturally.
“He had a better financial proposal, a huge sporting
project and it was impossible for him to postpone or conceal his
choice.”
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