With Andrea Pirlo’s autobiography – “I think therefore I play” causing quite the stir in the footballing world, one of the major revelations Pirlo has shared is his transfer to Chelsea that at one point came so close in 2009. Still producing top draw performances for Juventus, one does imagine what life would have been like with the classy pin point passer.
In his autobiography, Pirlo reveals how close he came to a move to London and how it was previous club AC Milan’s transfer demands that ruined his chance of a move to the Blues. He revealed: “Milan wanted too much cash, and they were also pushing for Branislav Ivanovic to be included in the deal. Chelsea hadn’t the slightest intention of letting the defender go.”
At the time newly installed manager from AC Milan Carlo Ancelotti was the Italian’s main motivation for the move to Chelsea. “Ancelotti and I spoke a fair bit on the phone. He wanted to bring me to London at all costs, and cost was indeed the last hurdle still to be overcome. Insurmountable, as it transpired. Carlo Ancelotti was my motivation for agreeing to head to London.”
Pirlo’s failed move to Chelsea will come as a major surprise to the faithful, as he is a huge player in European football but there were no rumblings at the time of a possible move. It was in that same season Pirlo left for Juventus and arguably enjoyed one of his finest seasons in his impressive career. But, many will be thankful that deal maybe did not go through, as if Chelsea had given into Milan’s demands, Branislav Ivanovic will have been sacrificed, a fan favourite and a player worth his weight in gold as one of the best defenders in the league.
However, many Chelsea fans would have been drooling at the thought of Ancelotti’s favoured 4-3-3 formation with Frank Lampard, Micheal Ballack and Andrea Pirlo as the three midfielders. Pirlo most likely of the three to sit back and dictate play allowing the other two to push on could have been one of the most star studded midfields to ever grace the Premiership. Although, it may not have worked as all three are fairly similar and many critics argue that even the partnership of Ballack and Lampard that existed was not the greatest of successes it could have been.
If Pirlo had gone to Chelsea, it is unlikely he would still be there now. The English Premier League is a polar opposite to the Italian Serie A that Andrea Pirlo is accustomed to. Serie A boasts a large number of older players due to the slower nature of the build up play which favours the less mobile midifielders. There are not many ancient midfielders let alone players in the Premier League due to its quick tempo and physical nature, which does not really suit Pirlo’s style of play.
In conclusion, Andrea Pirlo’s revelation has merely provoked ifs and buts for Chelsea fans although could have been a major signing. It would have been very interesting for fans of the midfielder to see how he faired in a different league. Thankfully, Chelsea were a success in 2009 season in Ancelotti’s debut year and it seems that all considered, Chelsea have faired well enough without the Italian’s presence. With Chelsea’s successes in Europe and domestically, it seems Pirlo would have a larger trophy cabinet than he currently has with Juventus.
