The Italian is still the leading candidate to replace Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte took over the charge of Chelsea in the summer of 2016 and won the Premier League title on his debut season. But their title defense haven’t gone according to their plan as they have finished fifth and will miss the Champions League next season.
However the Premier League giants ended the season on a positive note by winning the FA Cup against Manchester United. Despite that Conte is still heavily linked with a move away from the club.
The Italian has been linked with a summer exit for quite some now after a decline in club’s performances this season. The coach’s future has been under scrutiny since before the season began, as he negotiated a pay-rise without extending his contract and complaints over the club’s transfer policy.
Napoli’s manager Maurizio Sarri has been linked to replace Conte next season, who has done a great job since he took over the charge of the Italian side and helped them to finish 2nd in the league last season.
The rumours further intensified when Ciucciarelli appointed Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager, leaving the Italian free to join the Premier League giants. He is still under contract with the club and wanted the Blues to pay his £7 million release clause, which expired on 31st May without being activated.
Though Conte still remains in charge but the 59 year old is the leading candidate to replace him this summer. His long time friend Marco Brachi revealed that he has always been fascinated about managing the Blues.
“Maurizio has always been fascinated by the Chelsea option, as he’d really love to work in England. Let’s be clear, it is the ideal team for his type of football. They’ve got players like Willian and Eden Hazard who run hard, said Brachi as quoted by football.london.
“The last time I saw him, he said that Paris Saint-Germain were after him, but the club is not suited to him. He said: ‘How can I train a team that has Adrien Rabiot, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta in midfield?’ They are players who don’t run, aren’t helpful to his idea of football, which is very draining.
“We’re talking about great players, but they don’t attack the space and don’t run off the ball, unlike Napoli with Allan, Piotr Zielinski, Marek Hamsik, Jorginho and the rest.
“Sarri is not a Coach suited to everyone. Not every club will let you smoke during training, in the locker room or even on the plane. He is the last bastion of a romantic style of football that has fallen to money and multinational corporations.
“I am certain, Sarri won’t change for anyone.”
“I am sure that if he did go to Chelsea, he’d want to bring some of the Napoli players with him. Jorginho is his pupil, even if Manchester City want him.
“During the first pre-season training camp at Dimaro, I met Sarri in the locker room and he told me this team had two phenomenal players: Jorginho and Kalidou Koulibaly.
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