Jose concedes defeat in Lampard pursuit
by Tom Kell, 20 July 2008
Frank Lampard looks destined to be a Chelsea player for at least one more year after Inter boss Jose Mourinho’s admission that he does not expect to be reunited with the England international this summer.
Lampard’s current contract at Stamford Bridge runs until the end of next season but the player and his current employers have come to an impasse over a possible extension.
The Blues are only willing to offer the 30-year-old a four-year deal while the player is insistent on a further 12 months.
The Nerazzurri’s willingness to offer a five-year contract looked likely to be decisive in their dogged pursuit, but Mourinho admits he might now have to bide his time.
"I think bringing Lampard is now more complicated, I guess it's more likely that he sees out the remaining year of his contract than he joins now on a transfer,” the Portuguese told TV1.
The self-proclaimed Special One was more positive when questioned on another very public transfer target – Ricardo Quaresma.
"The Quaresma matter is hard but easy to understand, he is a player I would like to work with, it would be interesting for me to have a player like him, just like it would be interesting for him to have a coach like me,” he added.
"I am a coach of Inter Milan and he is a player of FC Porto, I am not a president, I do not know if there will be an offer for him or if it will be an offer that will be agreed, I do not know and I have to respect Quaresma and Porto.”
Never one to play himself down, Mourinho is full of his typical bravado ahead of his debut season in Serie A.
"It has been good so far, the players are very receptive to our work, we like what we do and we had not done it for months,” the former Chelsea manager continued.
"I am a person with my own ideas, one of my goals is to try to change something in the Italian football and prevent Italian football from changing something in me.”