Italy's Antonio Conte is set to take over at Stamford Bridge this summer but according to the former Chile boss, he was NOT the Chelsea owner's first pick
Former Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli has declared that he was first choice to take over at Chelsea this summer.
Italy chief Antonio Conte is expected to leave his role as Azzurri boss after this summer's European Championships and return to club football as the new manager at Stamford Bridge.
However, according to Sampaoli - who led Chile to a first-ever Copa America success in 2015 - he met with Blues owner Roman Abramovich and was told that he was first in line to take charge in west London.
“I had a meeting with Chelsea’s owner and he told me that I was the first option,” he told Argentine station Radio Vorterix. “I was about to be their new coach.
“But then Conte appeared and it became a competition between us. It was him or me.
"I needed some time in order to improve my English but this kind of club doesn’t give you that time."
Sampaoli has spent the last four years as coach of Chile and has never coached outside of South America.
But increasingly the 55-year-old is being tipped to head to Europe, and he has expressed his sadness at missing out on a Premier League tilt.
“The Premier League is definitely the best league in the world and I wanted to coach there,” he continued.
“But as I said, it didn’t happen, sadly.”
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