Frank Lampard has laughed off speculation linking him to the England job - even though his Everton contract only runs until the end of next season.
The Blues boss has heard nothing about an extension on the deal he signed at the end of January, which was a surprisingly short two-and-a-half years, given the size of the task he faces at Goodison. Yet Lampard is adamant he is consumed by the work he has to do at the Merseyside club - and happy in his job of making Everton competitive again.
Asked about the strong links with the England role, should Gareth Southgate leave after the World Cup, he replied firmly: “I’m very, very happy here and I have got a lot of work to do. I’m trying to help us improve and get us towards the new stadium and all those things. It’s not in my thinking at all.”
The puzzling thing is, Lampard has been charged by owner Farhad Moshiri with taking a successful team into the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock - but his own contract doesn’t run that far.
The work is due to be completed for the start of the 2024-25 campaign, but his deal runs out the summer before that date. And he admitted there have been no suggestions yet about a new deal - though he has good reason not to be worried about that.
Lampard added: “No, I’ve not had any contact and I am not concerned about it because, this might make you laugh, the last time I was asked about a new contract in a press conference was at Chelsea and I got sacked six weeks later!
“I don’t like jinxing things. I am not worried about it at the minute. I just want to do my job well. I am enjoying my job and I want to do well. I have seen progress but I know there is a lot of work to do.”
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In the long term, Lampard also refused to speculate about his ambitions as an international boss, for very good reason. He added: “If I give you that answer, it’s the one that jumps out at everyone, isn’t it?
“I wouldn’t do that to Gareth. As I’ve just said, Gareth has done a great job. He’s preparing for a World Cup and it’s not in my thinking at all.”
Lampard takes his Everton team to Southampton this weekend full of confidence after their first win of the season, against West Ham in the game before the international break.
But he has cautioned against fans getting too excited with the signs of development his new look team has shown, following a late and dramatic intervention in the transfer window. “We are in that dangerous ground now where people are getting excited with progress. I am one of those, but it is one win this season we have had and I want a lot more than that,” Lampard said. “So I am not knocking on the chairman’s door at the minute.”
Everton have Jordan Pickford back from injury, but young defender Nathan Patterson is out for at least a month after picking up an injury on Scotland duty, and club captain Seamus Coleman will deputise.
