Frank Lampard has revealed that he came very close to signing for Arsenal before eventually joining West Ham United.
The midfielder went on to enjoy an outstanding career at the top level, scoring over 200 goals for Chelsea and earning over 100 caps for England.
Arguably the greatest midfielder in Premier League history, he could easily have enjoyed his best years in a Gunners shirt, plying his trade in North London rather than in the east and west of the Big Smoke.
Lampard joins an illustrious list of names who almost completed a switch to Arsenal, which includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yaya Toure.
Frank Lampard came so close to signing for Arsenal
These days, Lampard is synonymous with Chelsea.
The Englishman won three league titles and a Champions League with the West Londoners, and is arguably one of the greatest players in their history.
However, this quite easily could all have been so different. In a fascinating interview with LIFEJACKET, Lampard detailed how he trained with Arsenal and Tottenham before eventually signing for West Ham.
“So I trained at Tottenham,” he said.
“Then Arsenal came in for me. So we’d train there one night, and then West Ham were the last, funnily enough, around that time, to come.
“So I would end up spending probably three nights a week training at those different clubs, which is great for me. It doesn’t happen nowadays. You have to commit to a club at a very young age.
“So my dad probably being wise to it was like, do them all son, get a bit of Tottenham, you get a bit of Arsenal, West Ham, got plenty of time to make your decision.
“So I trained like that, took in loads of good experiences, played for my Sunday team and then I had to make a decision when I left school, after my GCSEs, right?
“And I had offers from all three, and probably by that time it was pretty easy for me to choose West Ham because it had been my club growing up.”
How would Frank Lampard’s career have played out had he signed for Arsenal?
If Lampard had joined Arsenal at the age of 16, it’s very likely that he never would’ve played for Chelsea.
The Gunners had a plethora of talented midfielders in the mid-90s, including the likes of Patrick Vieira, Ray Parlour and Paul Merson, who would’ve made it difficult for a young Lampard to break into the first team.
However, such was the calibre of talent that he was, he would’ve found a way. Arsene Wenger would’ve promoted him with little resistance, and he would’ve slotted in alongside Vieira in the successful Gunners team of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Arsenal were a better side than Chelsea during this period, and he therefore would’ve had little reason to jump ship for Stamford Bridge.
Of course, he could’ve followed Ashley Cole’s lead if the Blues did come in with a lucrative contract offer, but it’s more likely that he would’ve remained in N5.
The Gunners likely would’ve been more successful with a player as influential as Lampard in their midfield, although his presence may have prevented Cesc Fabregas from developing into the player he did, and perhaps even the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey later on.
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