5 Legendary players who nearly joined Chelsea
The transfer window period at Chelsea Football Club has never been normal. While several deals often take place discreetly, few are made public. Chelsea is a club which often works in silence, as these deals are very hard to strike - a lot of factors have to fall in place for one to go through successfully. These factors and agreements can fall apart at any time, and this leads to the deal collapsing entirely. Such 'what-could-have-beens' often come to light long after, and this article looks at five legendary players who nearly joined Chelsea.
The Abramovich era - where no 'big name' is unattainable for Chelsea
Ever since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003, money has never been an issue in the transfer market. While several incredible players such as Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit donned Chelsea blue before Roman's takeover, the purchasing power of the club reached new highs under the Russian businessman. The 'splashing of cash' has brought success to Stamford Bridge, along with a host of legends. However, there are many legends - not only of their respective teams - but some of the biggest names in football history, who have disclosed that they nearly made the switch to London.
#5 Dani Alves
Dani Alves will, without a shadow of doubt, be remembered as one of the best full backs of the past decade, particularly for his excellent performances under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. The right-back, who won a remarkable 23 trophies in his eight years at Camp Nou, has revealed that he was very close to joining Chelsea in 2007. Alves further went on to say that the excitement of being coached by Jose Mourinho was one of the major reasons he wanted to make the switch from Sevilla to London.
The Brazilian had already agreed personal terms, and Chelsea even put in a sizable bid to sign him up. The deal was at an advanced stage, with reliable journalists going as far as saying: 'Dani Alves will be a Chelsea player in the next few days.'
However, Jose Maria del Nido, the president of Sevilla, blocked the move in the eleventh hour, following which Chelsea pulled out of the deal. This forced Dani Alves to publicly express his dismay, claiming it was 'an opportunity of a lifetime.'
He spent the season at Sevilla before moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2008, a move which didn't turn out too badly either, considering Jose Mourinho parted ways with Chelsea just a few months after Dani Alves' claim that he wanted to be coached by the Portuguese mastermind.
#4 Andrea Pirlo
On the topic of world-class players who nearly joined Chelsea, another name on the list is Andrea Pirlo. The Italian maestro said in an interview in 2019 that he had the opportunity to follow Carlo Ancelotti to Stamford Bridge in 2009, but a move failed to materialize. In what was a rather difficult summer for AC Milan following Kaka's departure to Real Madrid, Chelsea reportedly tested the Italian side's resolve with a bid that included striker Claudio Pizarro going the other way.
Pirlo recollects the interest differently though, and jokingly said Chelsea rejected the chance to sign him owing to his age. This makes sense, considering the club's strict policy of not awarding long-term contracts to players over the age of 30. He eventually joined Juventus in 2011 when his contract at the Milan outfit expired, and even managed them in the 2020/21 season.