Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli has reiterated his claims that he was in the running for the Chelsea job ahead of Antonio Conte.
The Chilean, who led his country to glory in the 2015 Copa America, was on Roman Abramovich’s shortlist to permanently replace Jose Mourinho last summer but Standard Sport understands Conte ranked higher on a list topped by Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone.
In March Sampaoli claimed he had been told by Abramovich he was the Blues’ first choice and the 56-year-old reiterated those claims on Tuesday.
“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 said.
“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.”
Sampaoli’s limited English further helped convince Abramovich to bring in Conte, who has swiftly adapted to the language.
Neither party is likely to regret their decision. Whilst Conte has led Chelsea to a commanding lead at the top of Premier League Sevilla have emerged as surprise title contenders under Sampaoli. They currently sit just a point off leaders Real Madrid in the La Liga standings.
