While Scolari's debut performance in front of the press was composed and confident, his announcement that Lampard would be staying at the club may prove a terrible error of judgement.
Far from settling the issue, the repercussions of Scolari's claim saw Inter Milan table a £8m bid for the midfielder last night and his departure is now depicted as merely a matter of time.
"He wants to stay and to play for Chelsea for many years. I was very happy because I think Chelsea needs Lampard and Lampard likes Chelsea. Now it's a minimum of questions to solve it and Lampard will be with us more time than one year," Scolari declared.
The announcement was immediately countered by Lampard's agent, Steve Kutner, stressing that while his client 'wanted' to stay, that didn't mean he would be staying. "He made it categorically clear that although he would love to finish his career at Chelsea, with the deal he has been offered that is not possible," Kutner's statement read.
Yet while Kutner was issuing his statement, Lampard's reaction is reported to have been even less restrained. According to the Times, 'Lampard, who watched the press conference at the training ground in Cobham, Surrey, between double sessions, confronted Peter Kenyon in the canteen when the chief executive returned from the nearby Hilton Hotel, where Scolari had been speaking.'
An irretrievable breach has apparently opened between Lampard and the club's hierachy, with Chelsea unwilling to meet his demand for a five-year contract worth approximately £135,000 a week. No doubt delighted at the unexpected turn of events, Inter Milan, now under the management of Jose Mourinho, made their first formal bid for Lampard's services last night and saw the odds on the player moving to Italy tumble.
(source: football365)
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