http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article3965240.ece
Frank Lampard transfer claims stun Chelsea
Martin Samuel, Matt Hughes
Chelsea's preparations for the Champions League final were disrupted yesterday
by reports from Italy that Frank Lampard would quit the club after the game
to take up a four-year contract with Inter Milan. Confirmation from Uefa
that Lubos Michel, the referee who allowed Luis García's infamous “ghost
goal” in the semi-final defeat by Liverpool three years ago, will be in
charge against Manchester United tomorrow evening provided a further source
of irritation.
Senior officials at Chelsea reacted with surprise and anger that fresh
speculation about Lampard, 29, had surfaced just 48 hours before the biggest
match in the club's history and Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, placed an
immediate call to Roman Abramovich, the owner, to ensure that no deal had
taken place without his knowledge. An investigation has been launched to
discover whether an agent is falsely claiming to represent Chelsea in
transfer business, so strong was the word from Milan that a transfer was on
the verge of completion.
Sources in Milan were happy to provide details of a salary - approximately
£5.8 million a year - and a length of contract for the Lampard transfer, yet
Chelsea claimed that there had been no contact between the clubs, while
Steve Kutner, the England midfield player's agent, insisted that no decision
would be made on his future until later in the summer, after talks with
Chelsea.
Lampard's contract has one year to run and it may be that if he cannot reach
agreement on an extended deal, he will be sold rather than allowed to leave
on a free transfer, but Kutner said that word of an imminent move to Milan
was wrong.
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“There is no truth in it at all,” Kutner said. “I don't know why Inter Milan
would think this. Nobody has talked to me and I am good friends with the
owner, Massimo Moratti. I took Paul Ince there, I took Patrick Vieira there
- if there was something on I am sure I would know.
“The situation is that Frank has got a massive match on Wednesday, after which
he needs to spend time with his family, because he has not had a real
opportunity to do that since his mother died. He needs to get away and sort
out his personal life and when he has done that we will sit down and talk
about his future in football.
“After that we will talk to Chelsea and that is as far as we have got - there
is nothing in the pipeline and I don't know why this has surfaced now.”
The speculation could not have come at a worse time for Chelsea, with so much
uncertainty around important players going into the club's first Champions
League final. Didier Drogba is a target for AC Milan and there is still no
final word on whether Avram Grant, the first-team coach, will be in charge
next season.
Lampard's departure seemed a perfect fit with increasing indications that he
would be reunited with José Mourinho, Grant's predecessor, if he went to
Inter. Mourinho expects to open talks with Moratti next week and is favoured
to replace Roberto Mancini as coach. Although preliminary terms have not
been agreed, his appointment is increasingly regarded as a matter of when,
rather than if.
Chelsea reacted with stoicism to Michel's appointment, though there is little
doubt that they would have preferred another referee, for superstitious
reasons if nothing else. Chelsea have not won a match officiated by the
Slovak, who also took charge of their 1-0 defeat to Werder Bremen in last
season's group stage.
Chelsea will train at the Luzhniki Stadium this evening, with the final place
in their starting XI still up for grabs. It is a straight fight between
Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou. Grant is leaning towards picking Malouda
for his greater experience - the France winger has started all Chelsea's
Champions League away matches this season - though a final decision could be
delayed until tomorrow afternoon.
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