Liverpool FC striker Rickie Lambert has found an admirer in Jose Mourinho, who wants the Englishman to play for the newly crowned Premier League champions next season.
However, should the move fall through and Jos Mourinho not get the man he wants, Emanuel Adebayor of Tottenham Hotspur is going to be the man he targets.
The Mirror (where a lot of these rumors originate) write: The newly-crowned Champions had the 33-year-old Liverpool striker watched as he played the whole of Saturdaya s 2-1 win over QPR.
The former Southampton striker’s season at Anfield has yielded just two league goals and one assist in 22 league appearances. But we need to put these stats into perspective. The fact that the entire team hasn’t clicked as a unit and Brendan Rodgers is yet to find an ideal formation and system that suits his team best is one of the reasons why none of the players have exceptional figures for this season. Not to mention, Lambert has largely been left behind Daniel Sturridge (when the player was fit) and Mario Balotelli. Rodgers has also used Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho as false number nines instead of strikers available to him. Moreover, out of the 22 “appearances”, only 6 have been starts.
Lambert of course, had exceptional figures at Southampton last season. He got 13 goals and 10 assists in the league and his good form meant that the A?4m fee Liverpool picked him up for, was regarded as a huge coup.
These are just rumors, but a possible move by Chelsea would be an extremely tough decision for Lambert. The 33 year old earned his dream move to Anfield last summer and after an unpromising start to life, he was given an out on the winger deadline day as a A?5million offer came from Aston Villa – a place where he would have earned regular first-team football. But he decided to stay at Merseyside and “fight for his future”.
Lambert would know that chances at first team football will be very tough next season with Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi vying for the first role. Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that he will be looking for a prolific goalscorer in the summer.
Chelsea will get a closer look at Lambert on Sunday as the Merseysiders travel to London to play Mourinho’s side and if Lambert were to make back to back starts, the Portuguese would get a better idea of whether he wants the England international as 37 year-old Drogba’s replacement.
