Frank Lampard says Chelsea were never pinning their hopes of playing the Champions League next season on Manchester City’s European ban being upheld.
However, Man City’s ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday – meaning City will be in next year’s Champions League, and the club finishing fifth in the League will play in the Europa League.
City’s ban being upheld would have handed the blues a huge boost in their bid to quality for the Champions League, but Frank Lampard said: “I was pretty neutral on it really. I don’t know much about the case. I just listened to the result – as everyone else did – this morning.
“I don’t see beyond the games. We’ve got a few games now and we want to win them, then see if it gets us Champions League football.
“I was never pinning my hopes on an extra team getting in – we worry about ourselves. If we win enough games now, we can get into the Champions League.”
While Lampard says he is clear on his vision for the team, he admits missing out on Champions League – which would cost Chelsea tens of millions of pounds – could affect his summer transfer plans.
He said: “We’ve brought a couple of players in, which I think shows a real positivity about where we want to go.
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“Not being able to do business in the last two windows has meant that we haven’t been able to bring in, we haven’t been able to move players out.
“I think that’s as important as bringing players in sometimes – to keep freshening up the squad and keep the competitive nature.
“I know where I want to go with the squad, but that has to be a fluid conversation with the club. Of course economics will come into it, so we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”
