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Lampard and Drogba Drag It Out As Ballack ‘Quits’

Surprise, surprise, as predicted on TheChelseaBlog recently, it’s starting to look increasingly likely that on return from Chelsea’s pre-season tour, Frank Lampard will be offered the contract he’s asked for. Or at least, he’ll be offered the staggeringly reduced rate of £140,000 for the five year period he demands. The question is will he sign it?

You see, just when I was starting to feel a little cynical in questioning whether Frank genuinely wanted this deal, it becomes apparent I’m not the only one with suspicions. According to yesterday’s press, even ‘senior executives’ inside Stamford Bridge are starting to wonder if the ‘negotiations’ are a bit of a smokescreen, with one Chelsea ‘source’ suggesting “It does seem a bit odd that Frank is holding out for another 12 months when a very favourable deal has been put to him. And by offering him the extra year at least we will know once and for all whether this has been the main obstacle preventing him from committing his future to the club.” Indeed we will.

Anyway, on to my next battle with cynicism, and by my calculations, the ten days Didier Drogba had given us to reach his decision are up. So what is his decision? Well, we’re still none the wiser. Or are we? The Ivorian didn’t travel with the rest of the squad on their gruelling pre-season tour, so that could be a clue? My natural suspicion initially suggested yes, although Didier points out: “I am currently injured, people who say I am not don’t know me at all because I always want to play. I have even missed the chance to play at the Olympics.” Ok, benefit of the doubt there then.

However, never one to quit while he’s ahead, Drogba then goes on to say “This next week will be key in terms of my future. As for my future I have a contract with the club that is clear. But my agents will have a meeting in London and then it will be known once and for all.” So, unless he expects his agents to suddenly discover he doesn’t have a contract with us after all, we can assume he’s staying then? Of course we can’t because he goes on to say “It is true that the big clubs in Europe want me but this does not depend on me but on the Chelsea directors. I want to know the definitive decision this week.” So he wants the club to let him go then?

Wait though, there’s more – didn’t you just know it with Didier? – because according to the press, in a late dramatic twist, not only has Drogba delayed writing the final chapter of his autobiography (presumably until he seeks the help of a clairvoyant?) his agent has also confirmed “Didier is a Chelsea player but there is a 50% chance that he will stay and 50% that he will leave.” So that’s as clear as mud then!

Finally, we get around to a player who makes no secret of the fact he actually wants to stay with the club – the newly married Michael Ballack. It would appear his recent nuptials aren’t the only vows he’s been making, with yesterday’s papers screaming headlines of his decision to quit. Fear not though because the German midfielder plans to stay at Chelsea until he retires from the game, albeit at the sooner than expected date of 2010.

Ballack, who enjoyed the applause he received from his team-mates on his delayed arrival for the pre-season tour, reiterated his intent to retire from football once he’s captained Germany in the 2010 World Cup but stated “I have said in the past that I would be happy to see out my career at Chelsea. I moved here to play in the best league in the world with one of the strongest sides.”

But it was his parting shot, dripping with the sort of sarcastic humour generally associated more with the English than Germans that’s made me even happier to know he’ll be taking up the option of extending his current one year contract to two. Because, in recognition of the sheer joke some of his fellow team-mates seem to make out of contract negotiations, Ballack stated “I’ve just been talking to Peter Kenyon and told him that I want to sign a new five year contract. So now I have a bit of a problem.”

Nice work Michael.

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