Reports: Chelsea To Add Inter’s Javier Zanetti
In one of the stranger transfer stories of this year, several Italian media outlets reporting that Javier Zanetti of Inter Milan is heading to Chelsea FC next year. The Argentine has been at Inter Milan for almost 20 years and seeing him in another team’s shirt would be hard for any football supporter to imagine. While he was one of the greatest to play the game at his peak, the 40 year old Zanetti has certainly lost a step and would be hard pressed to keep up in the Premier League. The move makes sense if Zanetti was to come in as an assistant coach the same way Paulo Ferreira has at Chelsea, but why would he leave Inter if that was his goal?
The club clearly reveres the Argentine and he has gone far beyond legend status the way Paolo Maldini has across town at AC Milan. If Zanetti was indeed looking to pursue a coaching career, surely a position at the club where he is loved makes much more sense. However if he was to come to West London as a player-coach that makes even less sense for both parties. The roster spot given to him could be given to a developmental player and the same goes for his wages. Mourinho loves the way Zanetti plays the game and the youngsters on the squad would surely learn a thing or two about how to be a true professional.
Mourinho on his former player:
"“To me Zanetti represents the joy of living, the joy of making football your job every morning. He is the smile, the life force, the passion for training, the good cheer for everyone who works with him.”"
Mourinho and Zanetti experienced a wonderful season of success but that can not be enough to convince him to leave the club he has spent half of his life with. While it may sound like a great idea in the sense of leadership and having someone so legendary associated with Chelsea, it just does not make enough practical sense for it to actually happen. When Zanetti does hang it up he will certainly find a spot in the coach’s bench at the San Siro, not Stamford Bridge.
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