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| Tuesday 8 July, 2008 |
| Blog: I Love Lamp |
| As Inter take the first steps toward bringing Frank Lampard to the club, Steve Wilson assesses the Englishman's potential switch to San Siro |
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If Frank Lampard joins Inter he will be the first high-profile Englishman in Serie A for over a decade. Not since Paul Ince left the Nerazzurri in 1997 has there been a top player from any of the home nations based in the peninsula, but if anyone is to successfully break that trend I believe the Chelsea midfielder is the best man for the job.
The criticism of most English players who have gone abroad is that they fail to adapt, with the language barrier the biggest hurdle. While our European neighbours learn English from the day they start school, we in Britain are generally given basic French and then the opportunity to pursue another tongue as a GCSE option. Consequently, most players go abroad with no bi-lingual skills.
For every Jonathan Woodgate, who excelled in his Spanish at Real Madrid, there is an Ian Rush, who famously described Italy as being “like a foreign country.” However, Lampard is equipped to buck this trend. Having a Catalan wife suggests that the England midfielder already has some Spanish in his locker, which will help no end when it comes to taking Italian classes.
He is also a player who has spoken of his interest in testing himself abroad, even being critical of the English tendency to remain in the comfort zone rather than taking a risk and moving overseas. In interviews he is a player who displays a level of intelligence absent from so many of his Premier League colleagues and I have no doubt he would settle and integrate into the Italian culture.
Of course, it always helps to have a familiar face waiting for you when moving anywhere new - and he would find that in Coach Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician is usually keen to keep his plans under wraps, but courted Lampard in the Press and made it clear he would love to be reunited with the man who gave him 51 Premier League and Champions League goals from midfield at Chelsea.
But how would he fit in on the pitch? Well, it appears that a space is already being made available with the ousting of Serbian midfielder Dejan Stankovic. Over the last four years he has netted just 17 goals and you would expect Lampard to offer far more of a threat in front of goal, although admittedly he does not possess the versatility of the Balkan bomber.
Mourinho has already stated that he does not know what system he will use next term, but once he has got his midfield general installed you would expect him to mould the formation and tactics around him. I've no doubt that the transfer will benefit both Lampard and Inter and, who knows, it may finally convince a TV broadcaster to commit to Serie A for more than just one campaign.
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Being an Interista this article is of importance to me. I think Lampard could help the Nerazzurri in the midfield and buying him would indeed be a good transfer for us. I remember when we had Paul Ince in the mid-1990's - he had the Inter spirit and I just hope Lampard can mirror Ince under Mr Mourinho.
Daniel, Auckland, NZ
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