Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Didn't Make a Mistake in Frank Lampard Summer Saga

Frank Lampard's recent contributions to Manchester City's Premier League campaign have left many wondering whether Chelsea made a mistake letting the club legend go, but Jose Mourinho is right when he says the Blues made the correct decision.

Responding to speculation Chelsea may regret letting the midfielder walk in light of his performances for rivals City, the Blues manager emphasised he still believes the right decisions were made during the summer. As reported by Sky Sports for Fox Sports, he said:

"

It's his life, nothing to do with us. He left Chelsea as a free agent and chooses his life, we can't complain about it. That's football. My view is that when you want to look forward, look to the future and have people like (Cesc) Fabregas and (Nemanja) Matic and Jeremie Boga (a midfielder with the under-21s) which are the next 10 years of the club.

The project is to prepare for the next 10 years, not for the next year - we made the right decision.

[...]The nucleus of the team has to be developed and to have a big player like Frank we would stop the development of the other guys.

"

The 36-year-old became a free agent during the summer, and the club decided not to sign the longtime contributor to a new deal. Lampard signed with City's MLS sister team New York City FC, only to be loaned back to the Premier League side.

Now playing in sky blue, Lampard has scored six goals already this season, and his winner against Leicester City saw him enter the top five of all-time Premier League scorers, via the league's official Twitter feed:

Plenty of pundits and publications have been speculating all season whether Mourinho regrets the decision he made during the summer, including Goal:

Of course, it's easy to look back on the situation and start pointing fingers. At the time, Lampard's Premier League career appeared to be over, and no one knew he would return on a loan deal to the Citizens.

Even his new club didn't expect this level of success, judging by the fact they're left scrambling to extend his deal until the end of the campaign, per BeIN Sports USA:

But hypothetically speaking, would Mourinho do things differently if he had known the Chelsea legend would end up aiding the title hunt of one of their main rivals? The simple answer is no.

As the manager said himself, Lampard stood in the way of the likes of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas, two players who have been among Chelsea's top contributors during the 2014-15 season.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Matic has grown into one of the world's best holding midfielders, while Fabregas' skills as a distributor and conductor of the offence have been instrumental to the Blues' hot start.

Yes, Lampard is still an excellent player, as evidenced by his elite conversion rating, via WhoScored:

But like former teammate Petr Cech, Lampard's career is closer to the end than to the start. Mourinho isn't just trying to win now—he's preparing the team for the next decade as well. That means trusting youngster Thibaut Courtois in goal and handing the midfield keys over to Matic and Fabregas.

Much ink has flown regarding Chelsea's new loan strategy, and a quick glance on the club's official website reveals the Blues currently have 27 total players out on loan. Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe also ranked as many as 10 players in his top U21 prospects list at the start of the season.

By continuing to rely on a 36-year-old on his last Premier League legs, you're essentially telling all of these youngsters you'd rather cling to the past than give them a chance. Mourinho knew this, and he wisely didn't.

Chelsea's future looks incredibly bright—an added bonus given the huge success of the current squad. Amid all of that, it's easy to see parting ways with Lampard was the right decision, regardless of whether he ended up playing for title-rivals City.

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