Despite all the talk about Laurent Blanc potentially taking over at Stamford Bridge, perhaps Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea isn’t dead and buried just yet.
This is what Corriere dello Sport are reporting on Wednesday, with both of the former Napoli’s representatives, Fali Ramadani and Alessandro Pellegrini, currently in London.
The Italian newspaper clarify neither are there as tourists, having held their third (or maybe fourth) meeting with Chelsea, but Abramovich has yet to make a decision.
However, with the Premier League season starting in less than two months, it’s something he’s going to have to deal with sooner rather than later, either sacking Antonio Conte or keeping faith in his current manager in the hope he turns things around next season.
Sarri is said to have received ‘perceptions that lean towards optimism’ from his representatives regarding his chances of taking over at Stamford Bridge, ‘not exaggerated but sufficient to feel like he could be traveling (ideally) towards London’.
Calling it ‘healthy realism’, Corriere do however explain it’s impossible to ‘read the crystal ball’ and try and predict what could happen in the managerial roundabout, something Sarri has stopped doing since his trip to London a couple of weeks ago with his son, where he was met by Ramadani and Pellegrini.
Once again, we’re back to the question: will Abramovich decide to splash the cash on Antonio Conte’s dismissal and hire Maurizio Sarri?
