Leeds United almost pulled off £10m bargain for West Ham man - Chelsea will always be thankful of Whites miss | OneFootball

Chelsea will be thankful Leeds never forced a deal over the line for Frank Lampard.

Frank Lampard is undoubtedly one of the greatest midfielders of all time, with a legacy at Chelsea that will endure for generations. However, his career could have taken a very different trajectory had Leeds United succeeded in signing him in 2001.

The 46-year-old's career began at West Ham United, where he was highly regarded as a youngster by the club's then-manager and his uncle, Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp was a staunch defender of his nephew and played a pivotal role in his success in the years that followed. The now-iconic 1996 interview at a West Ham fans' forum serves as a poignant reminder of the high regard his uncle had for him, as when a supporter questioned Redknapp’s decision to give Lampard a pathway into the first team, he confidently stated that the young midfielder "will go right to the very top."

And that he did. After a six-year spell with the Hammers, Lampard felt it was time to move on, disillusioned by the pressure of being labelled Frank Lampard Senior's son and the treatment his father received, which left the midfielder feeling let down.

Teams from all across England were vying for his signature, but it ultimately came down to two final contenders, with Chelsea and Leeds United emerging as the frontrunners.

Leeds miss out on Frank Lampard

The year 2001 was a point in Leeds' history where they were looking to take that next step. Having signed Rio Ferdinand from West Ham, they turned their attention back to the Boleyn Ground, hoping to secure another talent from the East London club.

According to a report from The Sun, via Sky Sports, it was Lampard Junior who was their target and the Whites were prepared to offer £10 million for his services. However, it wasn't just Leeds keen with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea also purring with intent.

Eventually, it was reported that West Ham had rejected two bids exceeding £10 million from unnamed clubs, with then-managing director Paul Aldridge stating that the club would be "sticking" to their valuation. Whether these bids came from Leeds remains unclear, but in early June, the Hammers accepted an £11 million offer from Chelsea, ending the transfer race.

For Lampard, it was a straightforward move across London, and in hindsight, he will no doubt be delighted that he ended up at Stamford Bridge rather than Elland Road, with the two clubs following opposite paths in the years that followed.

Frank Lampard will be delighted he went to Chelsea over Leeds

Lampard joined Chelsea at a pivotal moment in the club's history, and just two years after his arrival, everything changed when Roman Abramovich took over.

The Russian-Israeli oligarch brought a new level of ambition to Stamford Bridge, and just one year later, he appointed "The Special One," José Mourinho, as Chelsea’s manager.

This marked a turning point for both Lampard and the club. In his first season under Mourinho's guidance, the midfielder managed to score 19 goals and provide 22 assists in 58 appearances as Chelsea won the League Cup and Premier League double. Meanwhile, Leeds had just finished 14th in the second tier after suffering relegation from the top flight in 2003-04 amid deep financial issues.

The following years saw a similar contrast, with the Whites continuing to struggle in the EFL, while the Blues, spearheaded by Lampard, Didier Drogba, John Terry and Ashley Cole, went on to dominate, winning trophies at home and abroad. This culminated in their 2011-12 Champions League success (pictured above) where they saw off the might of Barcelona and Bayern Munich to lift football's most coveted prize.

Eventually, Lampard left Chelsea in 2014 to join Manchester City, departing with a remarkable record of 211 goals and 146 assists in 648 appearances. Looking back, he will undoubtedly be proud to have called Stamford Bridge his home, where he achieved legendary status.

For Leeds, it was a deal that ultimately slipped away, but given the financial crisis that engulfed the club in the mid-2000s, the club probably had bigger problems to dwell on.