Steve Sidwell had just climbed into his car after finishing training at Reading when he received a call from his then agent Eric Walters.



“Are you sitting down?” asked Walters. “You need to be for this.”



For a terrifying moment, Sidwell thought he was about to hear some awful news about a family member or friend. Those fears quickly gave way to pure disbelief.



“I’ve had Peter Kenyon on the phone — Chelsea are asking about signing you,” Walters added. The midfielder thought it was too good to be true.



“I was a Chelsea fan, my family were all Chelsea fans and we lived in the area. I thought he was taking the piss,” Sidwell tells The Athletic.



It was just the start of a year Sidwell will never forget.



The year is 2007 and Sidwell is coming to the end of his contract at Reading, who were on course to finish a remarkable eighth in the club’s first ever season in the top...