Sarrivederci…
AS Roma are reportedly lining up a move to take Maurizio Sarri off Chelsea’s hands this summer as a replacement for Claudio Ranieri, who will depart at the end of the season when his short term contract comes to an end.
Ranieri took over from Eusebio Di Francesco this season having spent four months this season at Fulham but failing to turn their fortunes around in their fight against the drop. Roma currently sit sixth in the Serie A table and will hope to qualify for the Europa League before bringing in a new coach.
They had initially hoped to recruit former Chelsea and Juventus manager Antonio Conte, but after he turned down the job they have turned their attention towards Sarri, who finds himself in a complex situation at Chelsea.
The former Napoli man has not endeared himself to the Chelsea faithful but has managed to secure a top four finish this season and all but guaranteed the Blues a place in the Europa League final – the most they could have reasonably hoped for when he came in last summer.
But with many fans unhappy with his preferred style of play and his reluctance to adapt his tactics, the club may see this as the perfect opportunity to start afresh.
It is surprising that Sarri has lasted this long at Stamford Bridge, given Chelsea’s record of being trigger happy when it comes to sacking managers and some of their turbulent form this term. But despite Kepa’s refusal to come off in the Carabao Cup final and fans singing ‘fuck Sarriball’ on more than one occasion, the 60-year-old has managed to keep his job, and could well leave the Bridge on his own terms if he decides to take the Roma job.
