Inside Futbol (IF): Sam, what do you remember about your experience at Chelsea?

 

Sam Dalla Bona (SDB): I obviously have great memories of Chelsea, a unique experience: living in London at the age of 17, playing with champions, learning about a new culture.

 

After the difficulty in the first few months due to the language and the young age, I would say that everything went great, helped by the coach [Claudio] Ranieri, Carlo Cudicini, [Marcel] Desailly, [Christian] Panucci, and also everyone.

 

There were crazy players, like [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink and [Eidur] Gudjohnsen, there was an incredible atmosphere in the stadium. The top for a player.

 

 

 

IF: If you could go back in time, would you leave the Blues again?

 

SDB: Honestly, I didn’t want to leave Chelsea, I had received a [contract] renewal proposal.

 

The coach wanted to keep me, I got along well with my team-mates and I was fine in London. But if Milan call you, that Milan, at that moment, it became difficult to say no.

 

I could say that it was a mistake, but in football there is not much time to think about it.

 

 

 

 

IF: Frank Lampard was sacked and Chelsea chose Thomas Tuchel as their new manager: what are your thoughts?

 

SDB: I played with Lampard. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it, because he is a Chelsea legend and I think he still deserved some time to prove that he is also a great manager.

 

 

But now, unfortunately, football has changed.

 

Clubs don’t wait any longer, either you are where the club wants with the programmes or you are immediately kicked out.

 

I don’t know Tuchel very well, I have never followed him that much. He trained Paris Saint-Germain with excellent results.

 

To see him he does not seem so charismatic, but really I have never followed him so well.