It looks like Frank Lampard will not be trading in his Manchester City powdered blues anytime soon. After much interest both here in the United States and in England, Manchester City and New York City FC officials announced on Thursday that the English midfielder will be staying with the defending Premier League champions until the end of the 2014-2015 season.
Lampard was originally placed on loan from New York City in August of 2014. The agreement signed between Manchester City and NYCFC will keep him in England until May the 24th. If Manchester City makes the UEFA Champions League final, then Lampard’s stay could be extended until June the 6th. Even if City does not make the Champions League, his stay could still be extended if they make the FA Cup final, which will be played on May the 30th.
Manchester City currently sits in second place in the Premier League and are just six points behind Chelsea for first place. Lampard has been a key contributor to City’s success in 2014, scoring 6 goals in 17 matches.
While all of this is well and good for Manchester City, what does it mean for New York City FC? Assuming that City does not make it to either the Champions League Final or the FA Cup Final, Lampard could miss upwards of 15 matches. The full 2015 MLS schedule will be released this week.
Manchester City is part-owner of New York City FC, along with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.
In a statement released to the public New York City FC Director of Football Claudio Reyna said:
"Frank is a star and it is no surprise that Manchester City is rewarded by his contributions on the field every single day. He is eager to get to New York once his commitment ends in England and will be available to play on arrival as a permanent member of the squad given he will come to us having played at the highest level."
While Reyna may not have a problem with Lampard’s extended stay, the team’s supporters have a different opinion of the move. The Third Rail, NYCFC’s official supporters group, released the following statement:
"On behalf of the Third Rail, we would like to publicly denounce City Football Group’s and Frank Lampard’s decision to extend his loan to Manchester City until the end of the Premier League season.Many fans, including our members, decided to support the team, committed to season tickets, and bought merchandise under the impression that Frank Lampard would be playing for New York City Football Club, not Manchester City. Many of those fans are rightly outraged by this decision, and we support any course of action they take to voice their discontent over this decision.Our support for our ownership group has been unwavering until now, but this we cannot support. We reject out of hand any suggestion that NYCFC is in any way secondary to Manchester City FC, regardless of the source, and are disappointed that City Football Group would give such an appearance."
Lampard signed a Designated Player deal with NYCFC after leaving Chelsea at the end of the 2013-2014 Premier League season.
So what are your thoughts on the Lampard decision? Should NYCFC supporters be upset with ownership? Will this impact their inaugural 2014 campaign? Let us know your thoughts!