Listing the 5 renowned managers who rejected Chelsea 

#3 Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann holds the record for being the youngest manager to take charge in a German Bundesliga game.

Julian Nagelsmann, another Chelsea target, has slowly but surely established himself as one of Europe's most exciting and talented young managers. Recently, clubs with long-term plans have shown signs of leaning towards younger managers.

This is done with one eye on the future and the hope the manager will build a team over the years. Nagelsmann fits the mould perfectly. However, this could have been the reason the German felt Chelsea would have been a mismatch for him, considering their dealings with managers.

Nagelsmann rose to prominence during stints with 1899 Hoffenheim (2016-2019) and RB Leipzig (2019-21). His results with both clubs saw him grow in popularity among Europe's elite clubs. Hoffenheim enjoyed a record-breaking 2016-17 campaign under him.

Bayern were quick to snap him up in 2021, tying him down to a five-year deal. However, Nagelsmann was approached by Chelsea during the 2020-21 season when they contemplated relieving Frank Lampard from his duties. The German, however, declined the role as he did not wish to leave his club in the middle of the season.

Chelsea went on to sign fellow German Thomas Tuchel, and the rest, as they say, is history.

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#2 Pep Guardiola

Over the years, Spanish tactician Pep Guardiola has done magical things with teams he has managed.

Pep Guardiola took the world by storm with his impressive style of setting up his teams and the way they controlled the ball. His Barcelona side of 2009 won a record six trophies in a calendar year. That included a stunning treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola has since won 31 trophies as manager of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and currently Manchester City, establishing his pedigree across multiple top-five leagues.

Pep Guardiola was approached a mind-boggling six times by Roman Abramovich to take over as Chelsea manager.

The first instance was in 2010 when Carlo Ancelotti was struggling as manager. The second approach came a few months later after the Italian was eventually sacked. A third approach was made by Chelsea towards the end of Andre Villas-Boas' short stint, before they chose Roberto di Matteo as their caretaker manager.

The fourth instance came during Guardiola's sabbatical from the game following his tenure at Barcelona after the 2011-12 season. Chelsea hoped that a Champions League-winning side would tempt Guardiola, but to no avail.

The Spaniard's lines were busy yet again, for a fifth time, towards the end of the season. That was when Di Matteo's struggles meant Chelsea were on the lookout for a new manager again. The final attempt came after Jose Mourinho was sacked for the second time in 2015.

Pep Guardiola cited Chelsea's 'hiring and firing culture' as the reason for him declining all their advances. The Spaniard is known to be strongly against short-terms in football.

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#1 Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson during his book signing event

In one of the most ambitious manoeuvres in the history of football, Roman Abramovich and Chelsea approached Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003. It was shortly after the club had been sold to the Russian billionaire that the legendary Scot was approached.

It was shocking and disrespectful, as Abramovic hoped to buy out Ferguson's loyalty to United with a pay cheque. Chelsea had reportedly sent an agent acting on behalf of the owner to Ferguson, offering him the managerial role.

Ferguson's reply was short and swift, something one would expect from the Scotsman. In his typical Scottish accent, Fergie said:

"Nae chance."

To put things into perspective, Ferguson had already won more silverware with United in his tenure until 2003, than Chelsea had in their entire history till that point. Even to this day, his record is better than that of Chelsea Football Club.

The Blues went on to sign Mourinho in 2004, who forged a remarkable rivalry with Ferguson. That gave fans a wonderful few years of epic battles between Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, credit must be given to Roman Abramovich for making his winning intent clear as soon as he set foot on English soil.