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Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel recently claimed that Andre Villas-Boas wanted to sell Frank Lampard while he was the Blues' manager. He revealed that the two did not share a good relationship but was happy that the Englishman stayed put.
Speaking on his The Obi One podcast, Mikel claimed that Lampard was frustrated with the lack of minutes and believed that he should be getting more chances. However, the manager had other plans and benched the Chelsea legend with Juan Mata and Ramires playing in his position. He said:
"Their relationship was not good at all, because Frank felt like he wasn't playing enough. AVB kind of wanted him to leave the club, but Frank doesn't want to leave the club just yet. That started from there, but these guys at the end of the day find a way to win."
Lampard still managed 49 appearances that season and the club ended up winning the UEFA Champions League just months after Villas-Boas was sacked.
Chelsea legend confirms Andre Villas-Boas mistreated Frank Lampard
John Obi Mikel is not the first former Chelsea player to take about the relationship between Frank Lampard and Andre Villas-Boas. Former defender Alex told O Jogo in 2012 that the former manager didn't show enough respect to the legendary midfielder, saying:
"André is not the kind of person who talks a lot, he's someone who is a bit closed. That's just the way he is. I saw some comments of Lampard recently and I think he deserved more respect. It is true that a player knows he will sometimes have to stay on the bench, especially after reaching a certain age. That's not a problem. But with Lampard's history at the club, where he has more than 10 years, he deserves a word or an explanation from the manager. Fundamentally, it was a question of respect for everything that he represents for Chelsea."
He also claimed that it was not player power that got the young manager sacked. He added:
"I think it makes little sense to say there was a hardcore who did not want André to continue. If you look carefully, John Terry and Ashley Cole always played, Didier Drogba and even Fernando Torres had lots of opportunities."
Alex was sold to PSG in the winter window by Villas-Boas while Nicolas Anelka was the other high profile player to leave in the middle of the season.
