Sometimes, like in the case of the link between Frank Lampard and Juventus, the connection begins with the player and not with the club trying to get his hands on him.
While Juventus are more involved in searching for a striker at the moment, the unwanted Chelsea midfielder, maybe the club’s greatest ever player, is being linked to quite a few teams in Europe and beyond that, where the football isn’t as good but the pay checks are much better.
LA Galaxy and Manchester United are the teams showing initial interest in the player, who will be available on a free transfer once the season is over. Chelsea aren’t planning on selling Lampard for a small fee during January, instead not offering him a new contract while he weighs his option. Some even suggested he’ll retire as a Chlesea player instead of move somewhere else, but Lampard has plenty of football left to give for teams of high caliber.
Now, the Lampard to Juventus rumor hasnt’ originated from a source in Juventus or from Lampard’s agent, but from Andrea Pirlo himself, who was interviewed and said he thinks playing next to Lampard would be beneficial for him and for Juventus.
I can only make comment on what I see, and from what I see, Lampard is still one of the best central midfield players in the world. If he wanted to try at playing in Italy, I would welcome him at Juventus for sure. In Italy, Frank would comfortably have another four years at the top level.
That’s kind of like admitting the Italian league is much better for old players than the English Premier League, but he might be right in a sense that the different pace of play might allow Lampard to look a little bit better than he has this season, which is filled with unmemorable performances next to a few brilliant ones, while most of his scoring comes from the penalty spot and not from actually making the difference through open play.
In truth, it’s hard to see Juventus making this move; this team is thinking about the future and of growing. Getting Frank Lampard might add some experience and a bit of “clutch” to the team, but he’s not better than anyone currently playing in the Juventus midfield, and there’s a good chance he won’t be getting that many minutes as he’s been used to. Leaving to America sounds a bit better than fighting for his place in Italy.