By RYAN TOLMICH
If manager Manuel Pellegrini has his way, Frank Lampard will remain with Manchester City for the rest of the English Premier League season.
Since joining Man City on loan last August, Lampard has proven that he still has the quality to compete in the EPL and Man City are hoping to keep him around at least through mid-February due to Yaya Toure’s departure for the African Cup of Nations in January. The English midfielder’s six-month loan deal from New York City FC, where he signed as a Designated Player last July, ends on Wednesday evening.
“If you ask me what I want, of course, it is for him to stay here until the end of the season,” Pellegrini said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The Manchester City manager also put an end to reports stating Lampard would be unable to feature on New Year’s Day due to a technicality in the agreement between Man City and New York City FC. With the loan ending on Wednesday and the EPL’s transfer window only opening on Saturday, there’s plenty of speculation as to how Lampard will be re-registered to play on Thursday against Sunderland.
Pellegrini though claims that this has been worked out, and he’s preparing for Lampard to be available for the match.
“Yes, he is in the squad list for tomorrow,” Pellegrini said. “I said in December that we would know about the future of Frank Lampard. I’ll say it again: I think it is important for him to stay with us…He will play tomorrow. I hope (he’ll be with us) until the end of the season.”
The news is certainly a blow to NYC FC, which was counting on Lampard being available for the first day of preseason training in New York on Jan. 24. The club is now inevitably looking at a scenario where the soon-to-be 37-year-old Lampard will be joining the team in the middle of the MLS season, and not have an offseason to rest his body ahead of the grueling MLS schedule.
Lampard has scored four goals in 14 appearances for Manchester City this season.
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What do you make of Pellegrini’s comments? How do you see the Lampard situation concluding?
Share your thoughts below.
Well, now it’s official: NYCFC is cowering, salad-tossing, ManCity (aka UAE Sheik) apologist subservient.
Go peddle your oil wealth somewhere else, losers. Leave the game to real men.
Now I’m definitely a Cosmos supporter!
just confirmed that Super Frank is staying with MC for the remainder of the season. what a joke.
Assuming MC gets their way, why doesn’t nycfc ask for some young bench players in exchange? Both on loan and a few years contracts.
Let me help the supporter groups with this one. When Frank is playing here in July and he is totally burnt out from playing so long without a rest dragging his ass around the field…just start chanting “tired old grampa, clap…clap….clap, clap, clap. tired old grampa, clap…clap….clap, clap, clap.”
Why is this a surprise?
CFG views this as all one club.
The talented players will play for the important club.
The less talented will play for the unimportant ones, regardless of MLS’s adorable “rules”
Wow, what a load of crap. Kick this guy to the street if doesn’t want to be here! Shame on NYCFC for bending over & taking this from that has-been. Take all the money & invest it in a development system = money well spent.
#YouSuckFrank
We’ve known for a long time that Frank is a piece of garbage but in this instance he’s just listening to his bosses. Can’t really blame him for that.
Tired of this story!!!! If lampard is serious about coming here he needs to rest otherwise stay in England and see you in 2016!!! Also Tired of the retirement players coming here. MLS should shift towards creating stars not importing them.
It is probably getting too late now, but NYC II should have given Lampard a firm statement two months ago. Be there when WE want you to or go away. Lampard needs MLS WAY worse than MLS needs him.
He is looking for a competitive environment to play soccer and get paid. IF MLS walks…After Man City decides they are done with him, he is looking at QPR as a good choice. MLS meanwhile has 5 guys, just like Lampard, some of them better, who were rumored to be coming here….yesterday alone. There will be 5 more next week too.
Hopefully NYC II is doing exactly that. Breaking his contract. They can do better.
As great as it would be to see Lampard struggle in a competitive league, after cruising in his unfair match-ups. NYC II can do better.
Excellent points, except for one factor. “NYC II” is the same entity as Man City. It’s pretty clear (and has always been utterly predictable) which club is the priority for the owners. Here’s a hint: it’s not in North America.
If Sheikh Mansour wants Lampard to play in Manchester, there won’t be a damn thing that NYCFC can or will say about it. They won’t break his contract, they won’t give him a “firm statement,” they won’t do squat.
I can’t imagine Garber’s very happy about it, but he won’t do anything either.
Then why isn’t it done ?
Patience, grasshopper…
Come on man, do you really think Frank is going to be running out of the dugout in NY come March?
… aaaaand it’s done.
Hahahah nyfc!
So all the hate towards cosmos when red bull and nycfc are a mess. Red bull has a stadium but their name and history will never be good enough for New York, nycfc will be a fake team for life and their name is “city.”
If cosmos start bullying the New York teams, something will happen.
Cosmos will be out of business in five years.
Dont be mean Slow.
He is in the middle of celebrating the Cosmos’ 6th place finish.
Of course the manager wants him to stay. But there is zero news here (certainly nothing to suggest that he is “inevitably” going to stay for the entire EPL season), and this whole issue is irrelevant if Lampard is on the field for NYCFC’s first game. As for the loan, its important to remember that MLS owns player contracts, not clubs. If MLS decides that he plays for NYC, he plays for NYC.
MLS composes all their rules on an etch a sketch.
If Mansour wants him in Manchester, he’ll stay in Manchester.
Garber will then “discover” some face-saving clause that everyone somehow overlooked
Calvinball 24/7
Not that everyone didn’t see this coming miles away, but what a freaking joke. Team “elects” to loan a player out and the recipient team is now dictating the terms of the loan and when it ends.
MLS was never going to win against the EPL, but the fact NYCFC can’t even make a public stink about it is laughable.
See my above comment.
Mine too.
The Galaxy, Cascadia, KC, RSL, etc. those are real fans. I don’t give a damn if ManCity comes in for a friendly and blows my team out 4-1. It is still my team TID. If you are a NYCFC fan you are bought. You will always be someone else’s bit(h. Someone else will always control you.
If MC was trying to grow their brand in the US, could they be off to a worse start?
So many are trying to portrait this as an embarassment for MLS.
It is without a doubt the reverse. The champion of the British league groveling to a MLS team that hasn’t even played a game yet. Embarassing doesn’t describe it.
How are they groveling? It’s all the same entity, like Pellegrini said. If Pellegrini/Man City wants Lampard all season, he’ll be there. It’s certainly not good for MLS. Looks like we’ll see Frankie at the baseball stadium in June or so.
Then why isn’t it done ?
I’m guessing because he’s signed with MLS like all other players so they have to approve it. Man City (and therefore NYCFC) want him in Man City. But I’m sure MLS isn’t happy about this situation and are going to pry something from Man City for letting Lampard extend his loan.
Either way, the damage to NYCFC is done. This whole mess, as well as the agreement to bring over Man City youth players, makes it pretty obvious MC is treating their subsidiaries like farm teams.
“Then why isn’t it done?”
Only hours later….
MLS is still a single entity, all deals go through the league so its not like they are only dealing with NYCFC.
I really don’t see what makes you draw the conclusion that MC are in any way “groveling” to NYCFC. Sounds like MC are discussing the matter with CFG, who will in turn inform NYCFC of what exactly will happen. I don’t get the impression NYCFC have much input at all. NYCFC’s hopes lie in CFG realizing that this would be very bad for their NYCFC investment. Will they? Perhaps. We’ll see.
Does anyone think he will be at the baseball stadium before the Premier League season is over? No, I didn’t think so.