‘Interesting’: Gary Neville surprised after hearing which player Jose Mourinho ignored at Chelsea
Gary Neville has expressed his surprise that Jose Mourinho ignored one player when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge for his first spell as Chelsea’s manager 21 years ago.
Back in June 2004, the Blues unveiled Jose Mourinho as their new manager. They didn’t know at the time that they had just appointed the best manager in Chelsea’s history.
The Portuguese coach led Chelsea to major success between 2004 and 2007. In fact, he returned for another brilliant spell in West London between 2013 and 2015.
| Manager | Wins | Draws | Losses | Trophies |
| 321 | 204 | 65 | 52 | 8 |
Eden Hazard once praised his second season under Mourinho, describing it as his best year at Chelsea. We’re sure that so many top-class individuals from across the years would be able to reflect on playing some of their best stuff under the legendary Portuguese manager.
Gary Neville surprised Jose Mourinho never spoke to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink when arriving at Chelsea
The 2004 summer was extremely busy at Chelsea, both for incomings and outgoings.
Of course, it’s remembered for the arrival of Mourinho as well as some statement signings such as Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. However, there were some notable exits as well, including Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
During a conversation on The Overlap this week, retired striker Hasselbaink recalls how Mourinho never spoke with him in 2004. The new manager was appointed in June, and Hasselbaink left in July.
Gary Neville couldn’t believe that there was no conversation between the pair, recalling that Mourinho even visited England’s camp to meet Chelsea stars John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Neville asked: “What happened at the end at Chelsea? You left just on the verge of Mourinho coming in.”
Hasselbaink explained: “Mourinho came in. Peter Kenyon called my agent, I had one year left [on my contract] and said, ‘Jimmy can go.’ Mourinho never spoke to me. Never had one word to say to me. He never called. Nothing. He made his mind up.”
Neville replied: “It’s interesting that Jimmy because he went and visited all the international camps because it was the summer of the Euro 2004 Portugal tournament. He came to the England camp to meet John Terry and Frank Lampard. He was obviously going around meeting all the players. He never spoke to you once?”
Hasselbaink said: “He didn’t meet me. Afterwards he did say I made a mistake, but then it was too late.”
Hasselbaink’s four-year spell at Chelsea between 2000 and 2004 was certainly memorable, scoring 87 goals in 177 appearances for them. He rightfully features on the list of Chelsea’s top 10 greatest strikers. The Dutch centre-forward wasn’t able to stick around for the successful era that immediately followed, though.
Even though Hasselbaink did go on and score 33 goals across two seasons at Middlesbrough, history proves it was ultimately the right call to replace him in that chaotic summer with Drogba.
Blues legend Drogba was a key piece of the jigsaw in Chelsea’s team during Mourinho’s first spell in charge, which won back-to-back Premier League titles.
The current striker situation at Chelsea
While the likes of Drogba and Hasselbaink have thrived as Chelsea strikers in the past, there’s also a long list of high-profile forwards that have flopped at the club.
We’re interested to see where current attackers Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu rate by the time their Blues careers finish.
The early signs are that Pedro could be a major hit in West London, scoring five goals in his first six Chelsea appearances. Meanwhile, Delap’s injury has meant that Guiu has been recalled from his loan at Sunderland, so he’s got an opportunity to play.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/ZMyHgsD
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