'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
After the potential departure of their star player Eden Hazard, Chelsea seem to have given their manager Maurizio Sarri permission to leave Stamford Bridge this summer as well. The Italian is reportedly going back to the Serie A to coach Italian champions Juventus.
In case you didn't know...
Sarri joined Chelsea after leaving Napoli last summer. He had very good 2017-18 season at Napoli, narrowly missing out on the Serie A title to Juventus. After joining Chelsea, he signed Jorginho from Napoli, making him the midfield general at the club, with the Italian also bringing in ex-Napoli player Gonzalo Higuain in the January transfer window. After a flying start to the season, Chelsea had some hiccups and finished third in the Premier League.
His experimental football style, commonly knows as the "Sarriball", was very much criticised by the fans and pundits alike. He couldn't win any domestic trophy in England, losing the League Cup final to Manchester City. But Chelsea were in fine form in the Europa league and lifted the trophy after beating their London rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the final in Baku earlier in the week. It was Sarri's first major trophy as a manager. After the Europa League triumph, it seemed that Sarri would stay put at Stamford Bridge. But recent reports suggest that he is in talks with Italian giants Juventus.
Heart of the matter
It has been claimed that Chelsea have agreed to release Sarri from his contract so he could fill the the managerial vacancy at Juventus.
The report also claims that agent Fali Ramadani had a lengthy meeting with the Chelsea directors in London, and he left the discussion with a positive feedback from the Blues hierarchy.
There have been also reports that Sarri had met with the Juventus sporting director before the Europa League final in Baku.
What's next?
The Italian could well be on his way out of Stamford Bridge, with such high interest from Juventus. After the departure of Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus are desperate to bring in a world-class manager. It would be interesting to see how things play out in the end.
