NOT SO FAST
NYCFC: Frank just visiting Saturday
AS IT turns out, Frank Lampard is showing up at Yankee Stadium earlier than expected — just not to play. At least not yet.
With rumors swirling about his desire to leave Manchester City and link up with NYCFC before the MLS transfer window closes in May, Lampard will fly from England this weekend to attend Saturday’s NYCFC game against Sporting KC.
Still, club officials insist that this is simply a visit scheduled around a break in the English Premier League schedule, which Lampard will use to watch his future teammates and make living arrangements in New York for the summer. He signed a deal to join NYCFC in July.
“(Lampard arriving early is) certainly not anything that’s being discussed. We are going to be approaching this the exact same way since I think January when we found out staying until the summer, preparing ourselves and being ready for him to join us in the summer,” NYCFC coach Jason Kreis said. “We’re still very excited about that prospect. But we’re not going to speculate on anything sooner.”
In England, the Daily Mail reported that Lampard is frustrated about his playing time at Manchester City and looking for a way to reverse course to MLS. And in the Bronx this weekend, the 36-year-old midfielder will watch an expansion club that is undefeated through three games (1-0-2) and is sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings.
“I am certain that we will get some time to spend together,” Kreis said. “It’s exciting that he’s going to take that time and make the effort to come and see us this weekend when he has a break and we look forward to spending some time with him and getting the guys around him, I think that’s important.”
Lampard’s agent, who will also be traveling to the U.S., didn’t shed much light on the rumors that his client wants to push up his arrival date in New York. With Manchester City being eliminated prematurely from the FA Cup and Champions League, Lampard has mostly been used in cameo substitute appearances since extending his contract.
“Frank started yesterday for (Manchester City on Saturday in a 3-0 victory over West Brom),” Steve Kutner emailed to the Daily News. “Regardless, (Manchester City) contracted him at Christmas until the end of the season.”
Lampard, however, has kept an eye on the results from overseas, telling the press in England that NYCFC’s 2-0 homeopening victory on March 15 was “brilliant.”