Sarri Reflects on His Chelsea Departure as a Mistake

Florence: Maurizio Sarri has expressed regret about leaving Chelsea to return to Italy with Juventus. He admitted that it was a mistake, as he found the situation at Chelsea confusing and difficult.

Currently, Sarri is a free agent after resigning from Lazio in March 2024. He has been rumored to possibly return to the Premier League. His time at Chelsea was brief, lasting only one season in 2018-19, but he did win the Europa League, marking his first major trophy as a manager.

Looking back, Sarri feels he made a wrong choice by leaving Chelsea. He faced challenges due to the tension surrounding owner Roman Abramovich and director Marina Granovskaia. Sarri stated, “I could have stayed at Chelsea.”

He explained that he wanted to return to Italy because the situation at Chelsea was complicated. During that time, Abramovich could not enter England, and Sarri only communicated with him during games abroad. Most of his guidance came from Granovskaia, as there was no sporting director.

Sarri noted, “It would have been better to stay there.” He was concerned about the unclear situation within the club, which made him uneasy. At that time, Chelsea faced issues like Abramovich losing his British visa and a transfer ban due to violations regarding academy players.

Earlier this year, Sarri discussed his feelings about leaving Chelsea in an interview with Sportitalia. Juventus had to pay Chelsea to release him from his contract, and his time there was also short, despite winning the Serie A title.

He mentioned that he asked Granovskaia if he could return to Italy, and she negotiated with Juventus for his release. Sarri added that staying at Chelsea was an option, but he felt it was a good experience overall.

Some critics suggested that Sarri’s style of play did not fit the Premier League, but he disagreed. He pointed out that Chelsea finished third in the league, reached the Carabao Cup final, and won the Europa League.

Sarri acknowledged that there were some poor performances, like the ones against Manchester City and Bournemouth. However, he believes that if Chelsea could reach the top four, then his style of football must have been effective.

He concluded that the negative feelings from fans were likely temporary, stemming from just a few disappointing matches.

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