A fresh wrinkle in the Frank Lampard-Galaxy transfer talk

While we all debate and discuss whether Frank Lampard makes sense for the LA Galaxy and whether the longtime England man has surpassed Brazilian attacker Kaka as the MLS champs’ primary Designated Player target, let’s not lose sight of something fairly critical in all this:

Frank Lampard has a pretty big say in it – and he won’t be looking at things from an LA Galaxy perspective.

Clearly, Lampard is right to view things in terms of what makes most sense for him. Every player does, but none more than Chelsea’s longtime, faithful servant, who has also represented England with such a highly qualified and professional aplomb.

The situation remains fluid, too, as England’s 34-year-old midfielder continues to show that, where he is concerned, 34 can be the new 30.

It is possible that Chelsea changes its tune and attempts to keep Lampard around Stamford Bridge for another year. Chelsea officials have said otherwise – but we know these things can change, especially as fan pressure builds.

Meanwhile, here is a new wrinkle in this transfer crinkle. This report suggests Lampard may be jeopardizing an important goal by crossing the Atlantic to finish his career in sunny So Cal.

Lampard has 93 full international appearances for England; reaching that milepost 100^th cap would certainly mean a lot. Lampard seems a shoe-in to turn up on England’s roster for an upcoming February friendly against Brazil, and quite likely for March World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.

If he appears in both, that leaves the cap count at 96. We know that MLS isn’t held in highest regard abroad, and certainly not in England, where respect has been grudging all along. So this is a fair point; it seems that Lampard’s England ambitions may indeed be part of the decision process.