“The buyout clause was reasonable” – Frank Lampard opens up on how he pushed to sign Erling Haaland at Chelsea
Frank Lampard has revealed that he wanted to bring Erling Haaland to Chelsea. The England legend wanted the Norwegian striker when he was playing for RB Salzburg, but the club failed to get the deal done.
Haaland has been in top form this season and has scored over 50 goals in his Manchester City career, despite joining just last summer. Chelsea have suffered for goals and are back in the market for a forward when the summer window opens.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game against Manchester City, Lampard confirmed that he wanted the striker to be a part of his squad. He said:
"It's fantastic from him, the Chelsea side is another story. He's a player I tried to bring to Chelsea, his level at that point was very clear. Credit to him , I love seeing players at that level with the hunger to be the best and in terms of dealing with him, you have to have a plan."
He added:
"I'm sure the players have a good awareness of him. From our point, I was pushing it, I'm not sure what the appetite was elsewhere. The competition was big, I think there was a buyout clause that was relatively reasonable maybe considering the player. I don't know the details."
Lampard was asked to compare Haaland and Drogba, and he replied:
"I couldn't compare him to Didier, but Didier had that impact over a long period of time. Haaland's impact has been more instant. I don't think it's a direct comparison, but they're both great strikers."
Frank Lampard has spoken about Chelsea's original plans for Haaland
While speaking about his plans to sign Erling Haaland, Frank Lampard claimed that the coaching staff were stunned by the striker during a pre-season game against RB Salzburg and and decided to make a move.
He was quoted by Daily Mail:
"Because he's an amazing player and I think the ultimate, top level of player generally can do that, can come to whatever league. I've got huge respect. I've coached against him in a pre-season game against Salzburg, and I was sort of eyes wide open at this young boy who had just signed for Salzburg."
Haaland went on to play for Borussia Dortmund and then joined Manchester City last summer.