Chelsea almost hired me, says Jorge Sampaoli... but Sevilla boss has no regrets on not landing the job

SAMPAOLI

Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli has revealed he was in talks with Chelsea over the summer about becoming the new man in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, only for the Blues to opt for Antonio Conte.

Chelsea entertained the idea of bringing in Sampaoli as permanent successor to Jose Mourinho, but cancelled plans after learning of the availability of Italy legend Antonio Conte following the conclusion of Euro 2016.

But Sampaoli, who guided Chile to silverware in the 2015 Copa America, admits he has no regrets over not being given the role in London after now flourishing and making a big impression in La Liga.

'There were a lot of teams interested but the call came from (Sevilla's director of football) Monchi and for us it was very interesting and exciting, we were also in negotiations with Chelsea,' Sampaoli told Radio Onda Cero.

Since taking over at the Spanish club Sampaoli has been something of a revelation, keeping Sevilla right in contention at the top of the table and breathing down the neck of leaders Real Madrid.

Their recent 2-1 victory over Madrid, a score line which ended the Galacticos' 40-game unbeaten record in all competitions, sees Sevilla now sit just three points adrift of the top spot.

And Sampaoli himself hints him and his men may be over-achieving with their heroics so far this term, after initially setting out their stall with much lower expectations.

SAMPAOLI'S C.V.

Age: 56

Clubs managed: Juan Aurich, Sport Boys, Coronel Bolognesi, Sporting Cristal, O'Higgins, Emelec, Universidad de Chile, Chile, Sevilla

Major honours: Torneo Apertura (x2), Torneo Clausura, Copa Sudamericana

CONTE'S C.V.

Age: 47

Clubs managed: Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus, Italy, Chelsea

Major honours: Serie B, Serie A (x3), Supercoppa Italian (x2)

'I wanted originally to reach beyond fifth or sixth place and I wanted a level of… fight to appear in the players to get higher positions,' Sampaoli said.

'We will fight for the league title with what we have,' he added.

Sampaoli and Sevilla will soon get a taste of English football when they come up against Leicester City in the Champions League.

Claudio Ranieri's men are set to face the Spanish side in the knock-out phase of the competition.

The sides will meet for the first leg of the contest on Wednesday, February 22.