Radja Nainggolan reportedly turned down a move to Chelsea back when Antonio Conte was the manager at Stamford Bridge.
One would remember Radja Nainggolan as one of the most aggressive players around and also for the Belgian side. He has had something of a journeyman career, playing for nine different clubs during a well-travelled time within Europe.
Nainggolan was renowned for his tough style on the pitch. The Belgian had played as a central midfielder all his life, but he had had his bouts on the pitch. His best spell came when he played for Roma and Cagliari in Serie A, with Italy appearing to be his preferred destination for the game.
Nainggollan always had the attention of top clubs when he was at his peak while playing for Roma and may have even refused some overtures. While he was an influential presence for most of his club, it was back in his homeland with Royal Antwerp that he won a solitary career trophy with the Belgian league title.
For instance, had he continued at Inter Milan he would have won the Serie A title had the club given him the chance to continue there. Nainggollan only played one proper season with Inter Milan before being shipped out in different loan spells.
Speaking of Inter Milan and their then-manager Antonio Conte, Nainggollan did remember turning down an offer from Chelsea when he was performing well for Roma. Conte was the Blues manager between 2016 and 2018, winning the Premier League and FA Cup during his spell at Stamford Bridge.
Nainggollan, in his comments on Voetbal Nieuws via Sport Witness, insisted that he did turn down an offer from Chelsa when Conte was in charge. Had the Blues got him at that time, he would have had an impact, given the style of the game then.
Nainggolan said, “The best coach I’ve worked with. Luciano Spalletti! I also think highly of Antonio Conte. He even wanted to take me to Chelsea, but I refused.”
Conte did get his wish in the future, as he managed Inter Milan to unite with Nainggolan. The pair had a fairly decent time at the San Siro. The Italian manager had a knack for signing players from Serie A, as seen during his two spells in the Premier League.
As Chelsea’s manager, Conte brought in Antonio Rudiger, Davide Zappacosta, Marcos Alonso, and Emerson from Serie A. He continued this trend while managing Tottenham, as a few notable names came from Italy.
As for Nainggolan, he might be coming to the end of his career and is currently without a club after leaving the Indonesian second-division club Bhayangkara Presisi FC. There are chances he might hang up his boots, but only time will tell whether he will continue playing the game a little longer.
