Frank Lampard has been talking about his future. The reason why is not because the Chelsea boss raised the subject himself and although he has performed his usual media duties ahead of today’s game against Leeds, it was not a reporter’s idea to table the topic either.
Instead it is one of Frank’s former long-term team-mates, still playing himself, who prompted the debate. Branislav Ivanovic returned to the Premier League when he joined West Brom at the start of the season, and he has given an interview this week stating he knew Lampard would be a success as a manager and although he hopes he ‘stays at Chelsea for life’, the Serbian believes his old colleague could be a future manager of England.
‘He is a good friend so I appreciate the positive words from Brana,’ is Lampard’s initial response.
‘It [the England job] is certainly not anything on my short-term radar. I am very patriotic, I loved playing for my country but at the moment my focus is on trying to do the best thing here [at Chelsea] in the long term. It is all I can think about, but I appreciate it [Ivanovic’s suggestion] and if ever there was an opportunity later on down the line of something then it is something I would definitely look at, but you should never get too far down the line in this job.’
Concentrating on his present job, our boss is in his second season at Stamford Bridge which means he has 18 months left on his current contract.‘It seems to have flown by,’ he admits. ‘I felt when I came to the club that there were a lot of circumstances at the beginning that were going to make last year transitional, and maybe slightly difficult, and I felt like I took the job in a different position from most recent Chelsea managers. I think people sympathised with that and I thought it was a success.‘Now I feel like I would really love to be part of the long-term plan here.‘The signings we made in the summer, other than probably Thiago Silva, are signings for now and for the future, players that are going to progress and mature and of course I would love to be part of that.
‘Of course that is the club’s decision and the owner’s decision first and foremost, and I have to get on with the short-term, which starts with Leeds this weekend – but I don’t think anyone would expect me to say anything else. I am a lucky man to be managing the club that I love and is my life, so of course I want to make a success of it and be here as long as I can.’