Sarri appointed new Chelsea manager

Maurizio Sarri has succeeded Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager on a three-year deal, the club announced on Saturday. The 59-year-old former Napoli head coach becomes Roman Abramovich’s ninth full-time manager in his 15 years as owner less than 24 hours after Conte parted companywith the club he led to a league and FA Cup title, reports AFP.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: “We are delighted to welcome Maurizio and are looking forward to him bringing his football philosophy to Chelsea.”

Sarri may not have a trophy to his name, but he turned Napoli into genuine title contenders. They finished second twice and third on the other occasion behind Juventus, last season becoming the first club to break the 90-points barrier and fall short of the league crown.

However, Sarri has shown a desire to be unorthodox and break the mould. His family were labourers – his father a construction worker – but he became an international banker.

For 20 years he mixed working for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which saw him based in several different countries, with working for lower-league and non-league clubs.

His command of English will serve him well with communicating with the players from the start, unlike Conte who could not speak English when he arrived.

Chelsea confirmed the sacking of Conte on Thursday after a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, which failed to secure the club a spot in the Champions League.

The Italian had led the London-based club to a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first season as manager last year but could not replicate the highs in 2017-’18. Chelsea did, however, win the FA Cup last season, beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.