Chelsea close to securing deal for Sarri after sacking Conte
Italian to leave London club, according to reports
Chelsea have sacked Italian Antonio Conte as manager, media in Britain and Italy reported yesterday.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had said on Wednesday that the Premier League side were close to securing a deal for former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri to replace Conte.
There was no immediate confirmation from Chelsea, who won the Premier League title with Conte in his first season after joining in 2016 and also the FA Cup in his latest campaign.
The former Italy manager had a year remaining on his current contract and had already taken charge of pre-season preparations at the club’s Cobham training ground.
Conte’s future with the Roman Abramovich-owned club has looked uncertain for months, however, with the West Londoners failing to qualify for the coming season’s Champions League after finishing fifth in 2017-18.
Sarri was replaced by former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti in May with the Naples club seeking to end Juventus’ dominance in the league. The 59-year-old led Napoli to two second-place and one thirdplace finish in three seasons in charge. Meanwhile, Fulham have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Ivory Coast international Jean-Michel Seri.
The 26-year-old midfielder signed a four-year contract — with the option for it to be extended by a year — with Fulham paying Ligue 1 side Nice a reported £25 million.
The transfer is subject to international clearance and a work permit for the 16-times capped Seri.
Seri was swayed by the promise of regular first team football, something he is not guaranteed at Chelsea. “It was great to get the move finalised,” Seri told the Fulham website.
“Now, I’m ready to get started and I am looking forward to meeting the squad and getting to know them, the head coach and his staff better.
“I’m delighted to be here, it’s a new adventure that starts for me and I’m hoping it will all go well.”
Fulham said they had seen off several top sides to secure the signature of the player who had been their top target for their return to the elite after a hiatus of four years.
“Jean-Michael arrives with Premier League qualities as well as great promise for the future, which is why he has been at the very top of our target list for a long time,” said Fulham director of football Tony Khan.