Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard was a wanted man back in the summer of 2008.
That would not have shocked Chelsea supporters at the time, as Lampard was one of the best midfielders in the world.
He finished the 2007/08 season with 20 goals in all competitions and even managed to score in the Champions League final against Manchester United.
It was not a surprise that one of Europe’s biggest clubs wanted to sign him going into the 2008/09 campaign.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard vies with Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso
Photo credit should read CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea forced to make statement about Frank Lampard after Inter Milan approach
The club in question were Inter Milan, who had just appointed Lampard’s former manager Jose Mourinho.
Unsurprisingly, though, Chelsea had no interest in selling the Englishman to Inter and giving Mourinho the reunion that he so desperately craved.
After an official approach from Inter, Chelsea released a statement warning the Italian club off.
The statement, which was shared by Sky Sports and several other outlets, said: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has received an official approach from Internazionale to discuss the possible transfer of Frank Lampard.
“Chelsea FC has informed Inter this morning that we will not enter into any discussions regarding the transfer of Frank Lampard.”
The retired England international will be glad that he remained at Stamford Bridge, as he went on to win another Premier League title and the Champions League trophy there.
Lampard recently discussed the 2012 Champions League final, revealing that both David Luiz and Gary Cahill played with hamstring issues.
Frank Lampard during Inter Milan vs Chelsea
Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images
How Frank Lampard’s 2008/09 season went
Lampard’s 2008/09 campaign was very similar to his previous one. Once again, he was able to score 20 goals in all competitions.
The Coventry City manager also recorded 20 assists, proving to be the complete midfielder. In 2009, Chelsea went on to win the FA Cup, so it was a good year for the club as a whole.
However, it could have been even better had Barcelona not controversially knocked them out of the Champions League semi-finals.
Frank Lampard’s 2008/09 season Appearances Goals Assists
Premier League 37 12 10
Champions League 11 3 6
FA Cup 7 3 3
League Cup 2 2 1
Total 57 20 20
Again, though, Lampard went on to win the competition eventually after Chelsea’s famous triumph over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Inter did, too, under Mourinho, but winning the trophy with Chelsea would have meant way more to Lampard than doing it with the Nerazzurri.