Roberto di Matteo has now claimed that he personally pushed for Chelsea to sign one player who would go on to become a club legend.
He told the ‘Obi One’ podcast that he made the case to Roman Abramovich for the Blues to sign Cesar Azpilicueta following their Champions League victory in 2012.
Despite only being at the club for a very short period of time as a manager, Di Matteo is a real favourite among supporters for what he did in his time in the hotseat.
Just days after delivering the FA Cup to Stamford Bridge, he became the first in Chelsea’s history to bring the Champions League too.
Following that triumph, the Blues went through a brilliant transfer window that strengthened them for a number of years.
They signed both Eden Hazard and Oscar, who would go on to play important roles in the future for the Blues.
Di Matteo pushed for Chelsea to sign Azpilicueta
However, one of those that went under the radar at the time was Azpilicueta. Di Matteo has now claimed he personally pushed for Chelsea to bring him in.
He said: “Azpilicueta was amazing. I’m not sure many people knew of him. The final decision was always with Roman, but if you could make a good case he would always be on your side.
“Eden was an easy one, because he was the best player in France and he was a young player. Azpilicueta, I made a good case for him and that was easy as well.”
The Spaniard would go on to captain the Blues, and be one of the most important and reliable members of the side for a number of years.
While the Italian manager did not even finish the campaign following European success, he certainly made his impact both on and off the pitch during his time in the hotseat.
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