Between October 2015 and July 2016, Marco Amelia was a Chelsea player.
He never played a game for the Stamford Bridge side, mostly sitting in the stands and occasionally on the bench, but he was there in case he was needed, and he filled that role adequately.
José Mourinho was the manager at the time, but Chelsea’s season was going so poorly that he was sacked for a second time and replaced by Guus Hiddink.
The Dutchman only agreed to fill the gap until the end of the season, however, which meant the Blues were after a new long-term manager for the 2016-17 season, and they had one name in mind: Max Allegri.
That is, at least, what Marco Amelia revealed in an Instagram chat with Mauro Suma, the editorial coordinator for Milan TV, as relayed by Pianeta Milan.
He said: “For me, these days, he is one of the greatest managers around. The Chelsea board asked me about him before they took Antonio Conte, so I thought they would go over to him. It seemed to me they really wanted to get him. Then they went to Conte and won the Premier League. Even Allegri could win the Premier League with his eyes closed”.
We’re not sure it would be that simple for the Italian manager, but there’s no denying his achievements either.
Currently without a job, Allegri is now being linked with a move to Newcastle United due to the impending takeover, although we’ll have to wait and see about that one.
Chelsea, down their end, seem fairly content with Frank Lampard, and their desire to appoint the Italian manager will likely have passed.
