10 Players You Didn't Know Nearly Signed For Inter Milan

3. Frank Lampard

Jose Mourinho certainly left an impression on the Chelsea dressing-room, and boy, did he know it. With the special relationship he harboured with many of the Blues playing staff, he tried to use these emotional ties to rid Roman Abramovich of his key assets and simultaneously strengthen his Inter Milan squad. As has been mentioned already, the Portuguese coach came close to persuading Drogba to trade Stamford Bridge for the San Siro, but he also had a go at signing the man who would later become Chelsea€™s top scorer of all time.

''I tried to take him to Inter, but I was saying, €˜You belong to Chelsea and you should stay€™. I wanted to bring but I also wanted him to stay. I told him, €˜If you want to come, I want you€™, but in the end he did what he wanted to do and signed a new contract at Chelsea. He was not very far away, but in the end I was happy and I told him so. It was a good decision.€™€™ - Jose Mourinho, October 2013.

Having been at the club for seven years, and helped the Blues to their first two Premier League titles, Frank Lampard has since admitted that he began to be swayed by Mourinho€™s advances during the 08/09 season. It had been a tumultuous year for Lampard following the death of his mother and the break-up of his marriage, so a fresh start in Italy seemed appealing.

''At the time, if I am honest about it, I did have thoughts about going to Inter. It was a difficult for me in my life, things had happened for me personally and everybody knows how I feel about Jose Mourinho. I thought maybe it was something I could do as a different path in my life but is the best thing I have done, not going to Inter. It was never a case of wanting to leave Chelsea to go to a team in England, that would be impossible for me.۪۪ - Frank Lampard, February 2010.

Impossible, you say?