Chelsea legend Frank Lampard has revealed that he would have stayed at Stamford Bridge if a contract extension was offered.
Due to being over 30, the veteran was playing on a one-year running contract, but at the end of last season, the club decided against offering him a new deal, similar to what they did with Ashley Cole, who then joined AS Roma in Italy.
However, for Lampard, he agreed to join for New York FC in America, but due to the season not starting for them yet, he then joined Manchester City on a six-month loan deal, which angered some of the Chelsea fan base.
The 36-year-old however, has now admitted that he wanted to stay at Chelsea, but the club didn’t offer him a 12-month extension, like they did for John Terry.
‘I would have obviously stayed if Chelsea had offered me another year. There was no reason for me to leave,’ he told the Sun.
‘Yes, I wanted to play a bit more regularly but I’m not stupid.
‘If Chelsea had given me a new contract it would have been mad not to take it at the time.
‘I had a chat with Jose Mourinho and both he and the club were always great with me. The decision was made – and I don’t know who made it.
‘I also felt like I didn’t want to be a player who faded away – with that being the last memory people had of me.
‘So maybe it was the right time. Maybe it was right that the club took it out of my hands.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
