Jorge Sampaoli Talks About The Time When He Almost Joined Chelsea
REUTERS/Robert Pratta
Jorge Sampaoli looks back at the time when Chelsea almost appointed him before they got hold of Antonio Conte.
The current league leaders Chelsea were in a turmoil in the previous season where they were not able to move out of the bottom half of the table under Jose Mourinho.
So, they decided to throw in the axe on the Portuguese for the second time and pushed themselves into a search for a successor, in the middle of the season.
Guus Hiddink did a decent job replacing Mourinho, but the former Chilean boss Jorge Sampaoli was one of the many candidates that Chelsea looked into at that time.
Speaking to the media recently, Sampaoli reflected on the time when he was an option for Roman Abramovich not so long ago.
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“It filled me with joy that Chelsea thought I could be the man to lead them this season,” Sampaoli told The Sun, “which actually has turned out to be so successful.
“It was a huge compliment and I felt proud that someone as important as Mr [Roman] Abramovich wanted to know my idea about football and what I felt and thought about his own team.”
Chelsea finally managed to lure Italian boss Antonio Conte to the Bridge but Sampaoli revealed that it was refreshing, talking about the job with the Chelsea owner.
“There were different reasons why it did not happen but just the fact he listened to me for so many hours meant a lot to me.
“In the end they opted for another successful coach
“But I was grateful for their good intentions and the attention they had paid to my teams and my philosophy of the game and that they considered me,” he added.
Sampaoli is currently enjoying a successful season in the La Liga, helping Sevilla to a place in the top-4 and into the Champions League next season.
