Birmingham City assistant manager Pierluigi Casiraghi has revealed that he and Gianfranco Zola nearly took over at Inter before the club opted to hire Stefano Pioli.
The Nerazzurri sacked Frank de Boer in November after just three months on the job, with owners Suning Group holding meetings with several potential candidates.
While the job eventually went to Pioli, Casiraghi stated that he and current Birmingham boss Zola were close to being hired.
“We were close until the last second when they opted for Pioli,” the Italian told Sport Mediaset.
“I would have been Zola’s assistant. It’s a shame because it would have been a great opportunity.”
Despite losing out on the Nerazzurri job, the former Italian national team striker made it clear he is happy with his current position at Birmingham.
“Things are great here,” he added. “English football is wonderful. We are in the Championship but the club is well organised.
“We are playing in stadiums that hold 20,000 fans on average. Football is special here.”
Casiraghi played for Monza, Juventus, Lazio and Chelsea over the course of a 15-year career that was cut short due a cruciate ligament injury.
