Sarri situation with new Blues manager in race against time
MAURIZIO SARRI flew in to London yesterday to finalise his deal to become Antonio Conte’s successor at Chelsea.
And the Italian – set to pen a three-year £6milliona-year deal– knows he has to hit the ground running to get them ready for the new season.
Chelsea’s domestic campaign starts in just three weeks with the Community Shield against Manchester City before their league clash with Huddersfield a week later.
The protracted nature of Conte’s exit means Sarri has little time to lose, especially as he will have more than 40 senior players on his books.
Helped by Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, who returns to Stamford Bridge as his No.2, Sarri will be greeted by a long to-do list on his first day.
He must oversee the rest of Chelsea’s pre-season and familiarise himself with his new players while deciding some of their futures.
And improve the squad with new signings before the transfer window closes on August 9.
Resolving the future of a string of star names, including wanted men Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard, Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, will be his top priority.
But when it comes to arrivals, Sarri looks set to be considerably less demanding than Conte.
He said: “I am not the type of coach to ask for this or that. It’s my job to make us competitive.”
That will be music to the ears of Chelsea chiefs after Conte’s regular complaints.
Midfielder Jorginho is poised to follow Sarri from Napoli for around £50m.
He has also approved moves for CSKA Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Golovin and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.