Ex-Arsenal & Perugia Striker Jay Bothroyd: “Inter Wanted To Sign Me, Ivan Cordoba Toughest Defender I’ve Faced” | OneFootball

Former Arsenal youth team and England international striker Jay Bothroyd has revealed that Inter were interested in signing him in January of 2004, during his stint at Perugia.

Speaking to The Italian Football Podcast, the former Cardiff City striker revealed that the Nerazzurri inquired about him but then Perugia President Luciano Gaucci scared Inter off by slapping a “ridiculous” price tag on him.

Bothroyd, who currently plays for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the Japanese top flight, J1 League, continued that he was annoyed at the time when Gaucci told him about it.

Inter were interested in Bothroyd as Brazilian striker Adriano was co-owned with and played for Parma at the time and the Nerazzurri couldn’t bring him to the club in January.

“No-one really knows this but it was the winter transfer window [in 2004], Inter had many injuries. Adriano was at Parma at the time and they inquired about me.

“Gaucci said some ridiculous number to them and that got shut down straight away [laughs]. I was really pissed off about it at the time, cause it was Inter.

“But he [Gaucci] told me about it as well in a kind of way that was like ‘haha we just rejected a bid’, and I remember thinking ‘you what? You just rejected a bid from Inter’ [laughs]. But Gaucci wanted to keep me at Perugia.”

The former Arsenal youth team player also revealed that former Nerazzurri defender Ivan Cordoba is the toughest defender he has ever played against, next to AC Milan’s legendary captain Paolo Maldini.

“Toughest defender I played against? Maldini and Ivan Cordoba. He was about 5 foot 10 but he had a spring that was amazing. And he was quick and super aggressive.

“When the ball was down the other end he was pinching my back and just aggravating me, and he was really nasty to play against.

“I remember it well, I hated playing against him. We played against them a couple of times that season and he was really nasty to play against. And obviously Maldini, he is one of the best ever.”