One day after its historic Europa league victory, Chelsea has extended all-time leading scorer Frank Lampard for one more year.
"Im absolutely delighted," Lampard said about his extension. "Everybody knows I always maintained the dream was to stay at Chelsea. We've been talking for ages and even though it went on for quite a period it was always amicable."
"'I want to thank Mr. Abramovich for everything he's done in making the dream a reality," he added. "I love this club, the staff, the players and especially the supporters, who have treated me fantastically since the day I arrived... The thought of helping the club to more success in the forthcoming years is all I ever wanted. I couldn't be happier."
Lampard came to Chelsea from West Ham in 2001 for £ 11million ($16.7 million). Since then, he has scored a club-record 203 goals in his 12 seasons while winning the UEFA Champions League, three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
In 20 games this season, Lampard has scored a team-leading 15 goals. While he did not score a single goal in seven Europa league matches, he did put up four assists.
According to reports, Lampard had considered other options before signing his new deal with Chelsea.
"From January onwards, I was allowed to look at other options," Lampard revealed. "I don't want to get into all the behind the scenes stuff but at the same time I wanted to get my head down at Chelsea and show that I could still do it, remain fit and contribute.
He added that his communication with the team never faltered throughout the process. "Talks with the club had been ongoing, though, and it wasn't something we wanted to throw out there while important games were going on," Lampard said.
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