The protracted contract saga of England international, Frank Lampard has rambled on from the start of the season, with the 34-year-old initially not being offered an extension to his current deal which expires at the end of the season.
Things looked bleak for the former West Ham player ever since Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, whose contract was also up at the end of the season, was offered a one-year extension to his current deal back in January.
Lampard look destined to leave the club since he was not offered a new deal, unlike Cole. Chelsea representatives had even announced that Lampard would not be offered a new deal and would be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season, just like Drogba did after lifting the Champions League in May 2012.
However, the prolific midfielder has not let the speculation affect his performances on the pitch and has quietly gone on with his job of scoring goals and helping the club win matches. His scored his 202nd and 203rd goal with a double at Villa Park last weekend, and in the process overhauled Bobby Tambling goal scoring record to become Chelsea’s highest ever goal scorer.
The attacking midfielder has scored a tremendous amount of goals this season, despite being behind Oscar, Mata and Hazard in the pecking order under interim manager Benitez. His 15 league goals this season is the highest for a midfielder this season, and his crucial goals have helped secure a place in the top four for the Blues.
His performances are set to get the rewards they merit, with Metro reporting that the midfielder is poised to sign a new one-year deal at the club. Chelsea are ready to make a U-turn on their stance of not renewing Lampard’s contract, and it seems that the impending arrival of Jose Mourinho may have played a part in it.
The report states that Lampard has been proud of representing Chelsea for so long in his career. He said, “There are certain players, when you look at the Steven Gerrards, people who have been at clubs a long time, you sort of associate them with it. I think there are a few players here now you feel the same about, particularly me, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech.”
“I am quite proud to be in that position. I always used to sign five-year deal contracts and that is different now, but that is just the way it is.”