Do Chelsea stick or twist with Sarri?
After Eden Hazard admitted that he was keen to exit Chelsea for Real Madrid, there has been much speculation about the fate of the manager, Maurizio Sarri too. Italian Sarri joined Chelsea in July 2018 but has endured a difficult first season and many sources are suggesting all is not well at the club.
The question is, will Sarri still be at the helm when the new season rolls around?
A season of two halves
Sarri has been under fire for more or less the whole season at Chelsea. He started off on the back foot after losing the Charity Shield to Man City but fans would have forgiven this if the Premier League results had been good.
Unfortunately Chelsea started to leak points, putting the team under pressure from the start. Before Christmas Chelsea had dropped points against West Ham, Wolves and Leicester as well as rivals Man U and Spurs.
After Christmas the fortunes of Chelsea slowly began to improve following a watershed 2-0 victory over Spurs in February. There were fewer losses and draws although the results were still a long way from perfect, losing to Everton and drawing against Wolves.
The good news for Chelsea was that the teams around them in the Premier League were also missing opportunities to claim three points for every match. This enabled Chelsea to claw back the gap, finishing the season in third position.
There was better yet to come with the Europa League Cup Final where Chelsea hammered fellow Premier League team Arsenal by 4-1.
A future in doubt
Despite bringing major silverware to Stamford Bridge, bookies are still only offering even odds on the likelihood that Sarri will stay and if that’s a bet you want to take, we’d recommend you do only do it with a free bet given the latest news headlines. Although Chelsea fans were delighted by the win, and for automatically qualifying for next year’s Champions League, many feel dissatisfied with Sarri’s style of play.
The Italian himself has expressed a desire to return to his home country, describing the urge as “strong” and admitting to a “difficult” year in the Premier League. Chelsea are apparently willing to allow him to leave if Juventus want him as their new boss. The hot seat in Turin is currently vacant following Allegri’s departure and the club are keen for Sarri to make the switch.
However, although many signs are pointing towards a return to Serie A for Sarri, there’s still a good chance he may remain in the Premier League. He hasn’t really clicked with the fans and although the season was a success, Sarri may still feel as if he has a point to prove.
From a more practical perspective, there are still two more years remaining on Sarri’s contract. If Juve want him, they’ll need to stump up £5million to Chelsea and some sources predict this will be just too much.
Sarri himself seems very much in two minds about where he wants to be. Despite pining for Italy he also says he is “very happy” in the Premier League and will be talking to Chelsea bosses soon about his future. Will Roman Abramovich crack his famous whip and move Sarri on – or will the trophy be enough to quell any restlessness, at least for another season? With all betting split right now on the likely outcome, the only thing for sure right now is that fans will be watching developments at the Bridge very closely.
