- Lampard admitted he wanted to sign Rice
- Wanted midfielder to be Chelsea captain
- Midfielder due to sign for Arsenal for £100m
WHAT HAPPENED? Lampard's first spell as manager lasted 18 months before being replaced by Thomas Tuchel. In an interview with Steven Barlett for his 'Diary of a CEO' podcast, Lampard stated that he wanted to sign a young Declan Rice and eventually make him captain of the club.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I wanted to bring in Declan Rice," he explained. "I was like ‘this kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next 10 years’. It didn't happen, anyway, it is hard to dissect people's work."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Rice remained at West Ham and is on the verge of signing for Arsenal in a £105 million ($132m) transfer, after the Gunners saw off competition from Manchester City to secure the 24-year-old.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT FOR RICE? The English midfielder will be lining up for Arsenal next season, hoping to drive them on and go one step further than last season. He may be Arsenal's captain one day, much to Lampard's chagrin.