Jorge Sampaoli has revealed he was in talks with Chelsea in the summer before becoming Sevilla boss.
The 56-year-old was subject to plenty of interest from various clubs after stepping down as Chile head coach in January 2016 following their Copa America success the year before.
Sampaoli’s Sevilla side are currently second in La Liga and only one point behind Real Madrid in the title race, although Zinedine Zidane’s side have played one game fewer.
Sevilla’s stunning performances have even led to some to suggest Sampaoli could replace Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in the near future, but it could have been completely different this season had discussions with Chelsea panned out differently.
“There were a lot of teams interested but the call came from Monchi and for us it was very interesting and exciting, we were also in negotiations with Chelsea,” he told radio station Onda Cero, via Football365.
“Sevilla is an amazing city, with a lot of passion and interest in football and when I am in the stadium: the hymn, the songs of the fans… it is incredible.”
Neither side can be disappointed with the outcome of the talks, as Chelsea went on to appoint former Italy head coach Antonio Conte and the Blues are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Sampaoli has quickly managed to change Sevilla’s fortunes on the road this season, after they went more than a year without winning an away league game prior to this season. In fact, Sevilla have won as many matches on the road this season in La Liga (5) as they had managed in their previous 30 attempts combined.
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