Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has revealed that is not in contract negotiations with the club, with his current deal set to expire in the summer, fueling speculation — well, perhaps it is no longer ‘speculation’ — that the 34-year-old will be plying his trade at another football club next season, Sky Sports reports.
The Englishman is not short of potential suitors, with a bevy of clubs reportedly keen on the former West Ham United star, including two-time defending MLS Cup champions Los Angeles Galaxy, Chinese Super League side Guizhou Rehne and Arsenal.
“There have been no talks about anything about an extension. The ball is in Chelsea’s
court. I’m a Chelsea player, as simple as that. I’ve had a great, great time here,” revealed Lampard at the Club World Cup in Japan.
“Maybe things don’t last forever. Although I want it to last forever, you have to be big enough to know what it is.”
Now then, do not expect Chelsea to let Lampard go in January, primarily due to the Blues’ injury woes in midfield which took another hit following Oriol Romeu’s season-ending injury.
Chelsea’s midfield problems will be exacerbated when defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel leaves the club to represent Nigeria at the 2012 African Cup of Nations in January, leaving the first-team without a holding midfielder.
I have a hunch that Benitez would like to have on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Michael Essien back at Stamford Bridge, as well he should.
It seemed rather odd for Di Matteo to allow Essien to join Real Madrid in the summer, but now it seems completely wrong.
To be fair to Di Matteo, he wasn’t long for the job, and neither is Benitez or the next Chelsea boss.
Jovetic wants to stay in Italy
ACF Fiorentina talisman Stevan Jovetic has insisted that he stayed at the Stadio Artemio Franchi because the club assured him that they would strengthen the squad and fight for a place in the UEFA Champions League, despite being the subject of heavy interest from the likes of Manchester City and Juventus, Sky Sports understands.
With the January transfer window on the horizon and fast approaching, rumours are starting to swirl that Jovetic could be set to leave Fiorentina for pastures new.
“I’ve had offers but I wanted to stay and I did,” said Jovetic.
“The president promised to strengthen the squad and fight for the Champions League, and both promises have been kept.”
With that said, the Montenegro international, 22, did hint at a possible desire of playing for a bigger club in the future.
“Do I dream of playing for a bigger club? It’s better to say not too much,” he added.
“Generally, I do not think too much about what will happen in the future. If something has to happen, it will happen anyway. It’s up to me only to work and devote myself to football.
“I’ve been in Italy for five years and I’ve learned the language and local habits. Even if going abroad would be a new challenge, I would like to stay in Italy.”
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