Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has revealed he wanted to sign Declan Rice, believing the Arsenal-bound midfielder could have been the Blues’ long-term captain.
Former Chelsea academy player Rice, who has since gone on to establish himself as an England regular under Gareth Southgate, captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory last month ahead of his expected move to north London.
Lampard, who managed Chelsea between 2019 and 2021 before returning for a stint as caretaker boss earlier this year, told the Diary of a CEO podcast: “I wanted to bring in Declan Rice.
“I was like ‘this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years’. It didn’t happen, anyway, it is hard to dissect people’s work.”
Lampard returned to the club as interim manager in April after Chelsea sacked Graham Potter but only managed one win in his 10 games in charge as the Blues finished 12th.
Chelsea’s record goalscorer referred to the troubles he experienced with the oversized squad he inherited after the £600million-plus investment from Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium since 2022.
Lampard added: “The biggest thing about the low standards was the size of the squad. The motivation was tough with players outside the Champions League squad.
“When I came in, very quickly I noticed that some players were thinking about the season’s going to peter out and what the future’s going to look like and that was a difficult situation.
“When you have international players in a big number then of course you’re telling internationals to stay at home and it’s not easy, and to have the conversation with them every Friday and to get them lined up coming in is also not easy for your own energy.
“I think there’s an understanding at the club that (squad size) has to change now, I think it has to change and if you lack those basics then it’s really hard to get where you want to get to.”
Chelsea have since appointed Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager and have streamlined their bloated squad by selling eight first-team players ahead of their pre-season tour to the United States.
Lampard talked up Mason Mount, who is among those to have left Stamford Bridge this summer, signing for Manchester United earlier this month.
“I think it’s a great signing,” Lampard said.
“So in terms of what he’ll bring to Manchester United, it won’t just be what Mason brings, he will bring loads of talent, but he’s just going to go and (raise) the levels.”
Ten Hag admits Man United missed out on Kane
Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Manchester United wanted to sign Harry Kane last year but were unable to bring him to the club.
The England captain joined Bayern Munich and has scored 43 goals so far in his maiden Bundesliga season.
United instead brought in Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta, though the forward initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, failing to score in his first 14 matches in the competition.
Overall, the forward has netted 14 times in all competitions, with eight of those coming in the top-flight, but Ten Hag admitted that the club did try to bring in a more high-profile striker.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "This club can only have outstanding players because the expectations are so high. Manchester United is the biggest, or maybe second or third, biggest club in the world, the highest fanbase, so expectations will always be there.
"Everyone has an opinion about Manchester United and it can only be outstanding players.
"That's players who have all the skill set, that is the physical and especially the mental skill set they need to perform and contribute because we have to win every game. There's an expectation around every game from us so you can only fulfil that expectation when you have those outstanding players.
"But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted. But then you have to build, and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who already proved it in the past.
"We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign, and we couldn't get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he's a talent."
When asked if the unnamed striker he was referring to was Kane, Ten Hag confirmed that the 30-year-old had been a target for them.
He continued: "Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It's not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different.
"But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer, and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt, and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals.
"He had a very good period where he scored many games after he showed it, but before and after, he had some physical issues, which is normal for a young player coming up. But it has a negative impact on the team result and that's what you have to accept."
Wolves make Doyle move permanent as midfielder leaves Man City
Wolves have taken up their option to sign Tommy Doyle from Manchester City on a permanent deal.
The 22-year-old midfielder has made 30 appearances in all competitions for Wolves after joining the club on loan this season.
Wolves have now exercised their option to make the move permanent, which will take effect on July 1, for a reported fee of just under £5 million.
Doyle has signed a four-year contract with Wolves, with an option for two further years, tying him to the Molineux club until at least 2028.
He previously spent loan spells with Hamburg and Cardiff City, before helping Sheffield United win promotion from the Championship last season.
The Man City academy product also made seven appearances for Pep Guardiola's side.
"We’ve never seen Tommy as a player on loan, and he hasn’t acted like one," said Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs after the deal was confirmed on Friday.
"He’s gradually earned more minutes and become more important, which I think is an ideal first year. What he offers to our midfield is something different to the others, so there was a huge amount of inevitability to this.
"He buys into who we are as a club and what we’re trying to create culturally within the group. He’s a great player to have for what we’re trying to achieve off the pitch and he gives us so much on the pitch, so he’s the exact type of player I think Wolves should be signing."
Hobbs is confident that Doyle has a bright future in the game, adding: "If you look at the type of players we like to sign as a football club, they generally haven’t reached their ceiling yet and have loads more to come.
"Tommy is a fraction of the player he will become, with the more he gets used to the league and the greater his understanding gets.
"I’m really excited for now but also his future at Wolves."
Man City play Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday, but Doyle is ineligible to take part.
As well as expressing his excitement at joining Wolves, he reflected on his City exit, saying: "I’ve had many, many years as a City player, coming through the academy and eventually playing for the first-team, and I take great pride in what I’ve done for that club..
"It’s nice to close that chapter and open up the new one with Wolves and try to progress as much as I can and keep enjoying it.
"I wanted to have somewhere where I’m stable, essentially somewhere I enjoy, and I enjoy it here. It’ll be good to do it all again next season.
"It’s amazing. I’m really happy. I found out not too long ago what’s going to happen and it’s obviously very exciting for me, having enjoyed this season so far, and I’m looking forward to trying to better what we’ve done next season.
"I’ve known for a little while that there were talks, and the other day it was more official. I’ve enjoyed it here, everyone’s been really great with me, the manager, the staff and especially the lads. It’ll be good to battle in the league again with them next season."
Wolves are 11th in the Premier League with three games to play in Gary O'Neil's first season in charge.
"You can see the way we’ve played this season, some of our football’s been really good," added Doyle, who has played for England up to Under-21 level.
"We’ve been very unlucky with injuries, and it’s died out a bit the last couple of games which has been frustrating, but that’s something we’ll learn from.
"The club said they were happy with what I’ve done this season and, for me, I feel there’s a lot more I can give. We’re going in the right direction as a club, we’re progressing, so it’s exciting to be part of that journey."
Pochettino's Chelsea future still unsure despite Tottenham win
Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he will need time to turn things around at Chelsea, but is unsure if he will be given it.
The Blues kept their hopes of a European place alive on Thursday with an impressive 2-0 victory over Pochettino's former side, Tottenham, thanks to goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson.
Despite getting back to winning ways, the Argentinian’s future at the club is still subject to speculation as the end of the season draws closer.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Pochettino said he does not know what the future holds for him at Chelsea.
He said: "Maybe today because we won, I can explain a little bit better. I want to say enough is enough. I think all managers need time to translate their ideas and their philosophy. We need to have time, but it is not my decision.
"It's difficult to see every single week that I am under scrutiny and judgement. Yes, it's not my decision to be here or not to be here.
"I cannot tell you. I can say nothing. If we want to match the history of Chelsea, I think there is a lot of work to do. We will see if we have time to build this way.
"I am so, so proud of the guys, all the squad we have - 25, 27 players. I work for them. We want the best for them. Until the last day, we are going to work for them."
Chelsea were missing 14 first-team players through injury against Spurs but earned three points, which moved them above West Ham into eighth with 51 points.
Pochettino added: "Today was fantastic, full credit to the players. It is my first time in the season I really do feel so, so happy.
"It is the moment after 10 months the team really starts to realise how we need to compete. Today we competed really well against a great team.
" [We may need] some luck to have this type of result, it helps give belief to the players that this is the way. "
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