Frank Lampard has said that joining Swansea City during the January transfer window would not have been the right move for him.
The Chelsea legend has now retired from professional football but before making that decision, he was linked with a number of clubs both in England and abroad.
He has revealed that he was given the chance to link up with former Chelsea assistant Paul Clement at Swansea, but he has suggested that he did not want to end his playing career at the bottom of the Premier League table.
The 38-year-old told Goals on Sunday: "Clem at Swansea asked me to go and be involved there and I have so much respect for him that that made me really think: 'Could I get involved and maybe help there?'
"I had a link there, which was a nice thing, Clem sold it brilliantly to me and it was one of those, but again, having played at the top level and been fortunate to have played with Chelsea for so long, and Man City at the end, you are talking about top clubs that were fighting at the top, and no disrespect, but it was not the right battle at that point in my career as I would have wanted to have gone there and given my all and tried to help.
"This was in January, so I would have had to get fit again, have a mini pre-season and at 38 years of age slugging it out at the bottom of the Premier League in reality. I wish Clem very well, but it just was not the right option for me."
Lampard played nine league games on loan at Swansea during his early years at West Ham United.
Darren Plant
