Sarri must downsize Chelsea

had finally been put out of his misery and axed after months of uncertainty, as Starsport told you.

Manager-in-waiting Sarri has agreed a three-year deal and is set to bring former Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola (left) back to the club as part of his coaching staff.

Sarri must urgently decide on the futures of England duo Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham, who were on loan at Crystal Palace and Swansea last season.

Striker Michy Batshuayi, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, also needs his future sorted as does Kurt Zouma, who spent the last campaign on loan at Stoke.

There are 13 other players back at Stamford Bridge after the end of their loan moves.

Chelsea fly to Australia on Wednesday, where they play Perth Glory, with their Community Shield clash against champions Manchester City three weeks tomorrow.

The Blues must submit their official 25-man squad to the Premier League five days after that, on August 10, due to the early closure of the transfer window.

The day after that, Sarri will take charge of his first Premier League game, at Huddersfield.

Conte’s departure was confirmed yesterday morning with a 64-word statement, which pointedly did not thank him, despite the Italian winning the Premier League title and FA Cup in his two seasons in charge. The statement ended: “We wish Antonio every success in his future career.”

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas ‘liked’ a message welcoming Conte’s departure on Twitter, swiftly apologising and suggesting he had pressed the wrong button before wishing his old boss good luck.