Chinese clubs Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan are willing to offer Frank Lampard a staggering £1 million-a-month after tax to leave Stamford Bridge, according to The Sun and Daily Mail among others.
Shanai Shenhua have already signed Lamps’ former team-mate Didier Drogba, could another Chelsea legend be making his way over to the Far East to join him?
The 34-year-old will be out of contract at the end of this season and is free to talk to any club in the world come January ahead of then. He’s been with the club for 11 years now but it’s looking unlikely that he will be offered anything more than a one-year extension and I’m guessing the club may even be reluctant to continue paying his current wages beyond this campaign.
He could earn around £36 million over three years should he move to China, as reported in The Sun, but they argue that he’s more interested in a new challenge than the money and I’m inclined to agree. He may prefer a move to the USA and has even been touted as a potential successor to David Beckham at LA Galaxy.
I don’t think Lampard will be heading over to China to join Drogba but I do think he’ll leave at the end of his deal in a similar way to the Ivorian and I can’t imagine him playing for another English club he’ll retire or go abroad when his Chelsea career ends. I also believe the USA to be a far more likely destination than China, I’d imagine the challenge and lifestyle would suit him and reckon his fiancée will approve of the switch.
No matter what your opinion on him, whether you’re a Chelsea fan or not, Lampard will be remembered as both a Chelsea legend and Premier League great. He’s scored 189 goals in a blue shirt from midfield, just four away from Kerry Dixon’s 193 and 13 away from our all-time top goal-scorer Bobby Tambling on 202. I believe it’s a certainty he’ll finish about Kerry but not so sure if he’ll reach Tambling, it’ll help if refs start giving us the penalties we should be earning, eh?
The England midfielder has more or less won everything during his time in west London, including three Premier League title, four FA Cups, two League Cups, two Community Shields and the UEFA Champions League. Hopefully he’ll add a few more to that list, starting with the World Club Cup this winter.
He’s nothing to prove and he’s done more than his bit for the club. I think he’s probably lost his place to the impressive Ramires alongside John Obi Mikel in Chelsea’s midfield, but he’ll have his part to play this season and will go out with his head held high no matter what happens between now and his eventual exit.
What do you think the future holds for Frank Lampard?
Source: The Sun
