“We didn’t have the money” - Dennis Bergkamp almost joined Chelsea before Arsenal, reveals Glenn Hoddle

Former England and Chelsea manager Glen Hoddle revealed in a recent podcast appearance that the Blues had almost signed Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp in 1995.

Hoddle recently appeared on the Alive and Kicking – The 90s Football Podcast hosted by Ash Rose. He was appointed player-manager for Chelsea back in June 1993. He left the club in the summer of 1996 following his appointment as England manager.

Glen Hoddle is often credited with having kickstarted Chelsea’s journey towards becoming one of the top clubs in England in the pre-Roman Abromovich era. He took the Blues to the final of the 1993-94 FA Cup where they lost to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

Hoddle’s most famous signing during his tenure came in the form of Dutch legend Ruud Gullit. He played for Chelsea for three seasons, two of them as player-manager. Now, Hoddle has revealed that he was close to signing Dennis Bergkamp. This could have been the most legendary Dutch partnership in Premier League history.

He revealed:

“We nearly got Bergkamp as well, you know. Over from (Inter) Milan, he was available but we didn’t have the money. I think £6.5m/£7m, so you’d have thought, as I said to Colin Hutchinson, give Batesy a ring, see if whilst we’re out here, his agent, you know. That would have been exciting but they couldn’t raise the money at that time so we just missed out on maybe getting Dennis as well. But Ruud was fabulous and it elevated Chelsea and it was exciting times.”

Dennis Bergkamp went on to become a Premier League legend for Arsenal

Most Premier League fans will remember Dennis Bergkamp’s spectacular goal against Newcastle United in 2002.

The Dutchman at one point in his career was close to signing for another, lesser known London club at the time. However, he went on to sign for Arsenal in June 1995 for a reported sum of £7.5m, which was back then a club record.

Following his move, Bergkamp went on to become one of Arsenal’s most celebrated players of all time. He won three Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and three Community Shields. He scored 87 goals and made 94 assists in 11 seasons.

Bergkamp was also one of the most important players in the Invincibles squad which went the entire 2003-04 season unbeaten in the Premier League. It is regarded as former manager Arsene Wenger’s biggest achievement, with Arsenal never winning the Champions League during the Frenchman’s reign.

They came closest in 2006 but lost against Barcelona in the final despite taking a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute via Sol Campbell. Regardless, Dennis Bergkamp was not the most prolific goalscorers but his vision, passing skills and ability to take over games was unrivaled.

The Dutchman also had a knack for scoring the most spectacular of goals. He had become a bonafide English football legend by the time he retired in 2006. Dennis Bergkamp was an unused substitute during his final appearance for Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final.