Chelsea FC: Happy Birthday, Frank Lampard, Where Would You Like to Be Sold?

Frank James Lampard turns 33 years old today.  

I recently wrote an article arguing that Chelsea FC (Chelsea) should sell both Lampard and Didier Drogba, among others, to rejuvenate the squad. 

The fan reaction was very negative towards the prospect of selling the Chelsea icon.

I want to set the record straight: Lampard is one of the world’s best midfielders and I love him. 

I would like nothing more than for him to lead Chelsea to multiple EPL titles and a Champions League trophy in the next three to four years.

However loyal and romantic these sentiments, they are neither realistic nor good business.

The Lampard Record

Lampard has a tremendous record as an attacking midfielder.  Please see below his record over the last six years for Chelsea: 

At Chelsea, he has scored 170 goals and completed 108 assists in 509 appearances in total. 

Incredible! 

While Lampard is one of the greatest Chelsea players of all time—and certainly one of my favorite players—Chelsea should sell him.

Here’s why:

1. Remaining Value:  This is the last year Lampard will have any value. 

Chelsea could probably sell him for £10 to 15 million.

Last year, he missed nearly 30 matches with a serious injury. At 33 years old, it is only more likely that he will continue to break down. Next year, at 34 years old, would anyone really pay anything for him?

2. Type of Player:  Lampard is an amazing attacking midfielder. He does, as seen above, complete many assists. 

However, no one ever describes him as creative or inventive in his passing. He does not create space or even operate in tight spaces in the center of the pitch. He makes the right passes at the right time, but he does not unlock defenses. 

Chelsea desperately needs a Wesley Sneijder or Luka Modric type to give their side this dynamic and get the ball to Fernando Torres and the other strikers in scoring position. 

As a season ticket holder, I have many memories of Chelsea going up against a defensive side, looking for a spark and never getting it from our strong and industrious, but not overly creative, midfielders.

3    Part-Time Potential:  Many comments have cited Paul Scholes as an example of a star player transitioning successfully into a part-time role.

Lampard and Scholes are very different types of players.  Lampard is a rhythm player who needs minutes to get going. He is a player who has made himself great through hard work and dedication (we all remember the slightly thicker version of Frank Lampard at West Ham,) not one who possesses top-in-class talent in any one area. 

As such, he does not have the passing skill of a Scholes, who is perhaps the best passer of the ball in the EPL in the last 15 years. Scholes can make an amazing pass only minutes after coming onto the pitch.

This is the spark of inventiveness and skill that Chelsea needs, what Scholes provides even in a few minutes and what Lampard, unfortunately, does not possess (at least not at 33 years old.)

4    Transition to Part-time: Even if Chelsea were to keep Lampard and transition him to a part-time role, he is still at a level of fitness and quality where he should expect to play 90 minutes. 

Chelsea needs creativity, and if the team gets Sneijder or Modric it will inevitably take many minutes away from Lampard. That same drive that made him one of the best players in the world will burn and potentially lead to an unsettling dressing room as the club struggles with the sunset of their living legend.

Let's not forget even Scholes once refused to get on a team bus after being left on the bench for a Champions League match.  Transitions at end of careers are hard, and with a player like Lampard, it will be even harder.

Conclusion

Every week I go to Stamford Bridge and see the banners citing John Terry and Lampard as "Living Legends."

I hope these banners will continue for many years. But if Chelsea is to win trophies, including the one with big ears that Roman Abramovich so desires, the team needs to sell Lampard.  

No matter what happens, Lampard will still go down in the history books as one of the greatest players in Chelsea and EPL history.