Carlo Ancelotti did not do too much wrong at Chelsea and was quite unfortunate when he was sacked in 2011.
In his first season at Chelsea, he managed to win the double, guiding the Blues to the Premier League title and FA Cup.
A year later, Chelsea finished second in the table and made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but that was not enough for Roman Abramovich, with Ancelotti famously getting the sack in the Goodison Park tunnel on the final day of the 2010/11 season.
Had Ancelotti not turned down the opportunity to sign one player, though, perhaps that campaign would have ended differently. It was one of the few mistakes that the Italian did make during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Carlo Ancelotti said no to David Silva transfer before his move to Manchester City
Chelsea came close to signing Franck Ribery in 2008, but he is not the only elite player the Blues have missed out on down the years.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, posting on his Substack Si Phillips Talks Chelsea, former Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo wanted to sign David Silva.
However, Ancelotti vetoed a deal for Silva, who was still at Valencia at the time, Phillips went on to add.
It has proven to be one of the worst transfer decisions Chelsea have ever made, with Silva eventually going on to join rivals Manchester City, where he was a huge success.
Largely considered as one of City’s greatest ever players, the 2010 World Cup winner went on to claim four Premier League titles during a 10-year spell at the Etihad.
A year after his move to City, Chelsea signed his former Valencia teammate Juan Mata. The Blues could have had quite the attack if they got their hands on both of them.
Chelsea surprised ex-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when they sold Mata to Manchester United in 2014, but Jose Mourinho was keen to build his team around the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar.
Chelsea almost signed one of David Silva’s Manchester City teammates
Before his own transfer to City, Sergio Aguero was also on Chelsea’s shortlist. It is another deal the Blues will regret not concluding.
According to Phillips, Aguero to Chelsea was basically done, but the club decided to go for Fernando Torres in the end.
Like his former teammate Silva, Aguero has also gone down as one of City’s best ever players. Without a doubt, two great footballers that got away.
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