Lampard lays down the law at Chelsea with hefty fines
LONDON: Frank Lampard forged his reputation as a midfielder on his ability to arrive late to good effect, but it turns out he is a manager who cracks the whip in the quest for punctuality.
Lampard has imposed a strict disciplinary code behind the scenes of his Chelsea revolution and a list of fines, framed and hung on the wall at the training ground, features a whopping £20,000 (RM106,707) penalty for players who are not on the pitch in time to start a session.
Those late for team meetings can expect to be fined at a rate of £500 per minute and those not on time for treatment, medical appointments or to board the bus for a match-day departure will be fined £2,500.
Phones ringing during a team meeting or meal cost Chelsea’s first-team players £1,000, as does wearing the wrong attire on matchdays. Players failing to report an injury or illness ahead of a day off or within 90 minutes of training are relieved of £10,000. Fines are monitored and collected by Lampard’s coaching staff. They double if not paid within 14 days, with all funds going to charities and team activities.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Chelsea insiders note time-keeping has not been a major problem this season.
Chelsea want to accelerate Antonio Rudiger’s contract talks despite the the centre back having played just 45 minutes this season due to injury. The German, 26, has only two years left on his contract at the end of this season and the club want to end any uncertainty over his future.
LONDON: Manchester United could exercise a buy-back clause to bring Memphis Depay back to Old Trafford, Lyon chief Juninho has revealed.
Holland star Depay, who flopped during a frustrating 18month spell at United, was sold to the Ligue 1 club for £16 million in January 2017.
Depay has found his form in France since making the move and has 11 goals in just 14 games in all competitions so far this season.
His performances have attracted attention from clubs in Europe, with Tottenham reportedly eyeing up a £50 million move for him in January.
However, Lyon sporting director Juninho confirmed that United would be at the front of the queue due to a clause in the deal that took him to the Groupama Stadium.
“It’s true that Manchester United have a priority to buy back Memphis,” the Brazilian told OLTV.
“These things exist in football. But until now, we’ve not received anything on Memphis.”
Depay, who also has three goals for Holland since September, will have just a year to run on his contract come the end of the season.
Juninho admits that getting him to sign a new deal may be a challenge, particularly with the possibility of a lucrative free transfer not far away.