• Premier League

Lampard: Mourinho not behind Chelsea stay

ESPN staff
May 16, 2013
Frank Lampard attracted interest from LA Galaxy © PA Photos
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Frank Lampard admits he considered all his options before committing to a new deal with Chelsea.

Lampard, 34, put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal with the club on Thursday after months of speculation about his future. His contract had been due to expire at the end of the season.

"From January onwards, I was allowed to look at other options," he said. "I don't want to get into all the behind the scenes stuff but at the same time I wanted to get my head down at Chelsea and show that I could still do it, remain fit and contribute.

"Talks with the club had been ongoing, though, and it wasn't something we wanted to throw out there while important games were going on."

Interim manager Rafael Benitez will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, but Lampard maintains he wasn't concerned about the identity of the next manager - expected to be Jose Mourinho - before extending his deal.

"I didn't make any enquiries nor were guarantees made to me about who the next manager would be," he said.

"Because we all read the press we are all aware of what might happen and I have the faith that the club will make the right decision. It wouldn't be right for me to say who the next manager should be.

"This is a great club with great players and the idea of certain managers arriving does excite me."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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