Official: Chelsea appoint Maurizio Sarri as head coach

Finally, Chelsea announced the appointment of former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri as the club's new head coach after the sacking of Antonio Conte.

The 59-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Stamford Bridge outfit, after putting pen to paper, he told chelseafc.com that: ‘I am very happy to be coming to Chelsea and the Premier League. It is an exciting new period in my career.

‘I look forward to starting work and meeting the players on Monday ahead of travelling to Australia, where I will be able to get to know the squad and begin our match action.

‘I hope we can provide some entertaining football for our fans, and that we will be competing for trophies at the end of the season, which is what this club deserves.’

Maurizio Sarri is the new Chelsea head coach!

Full story: https://t.co/qQwb5xZT3f#WelcomeSarri pic.twitter.com/DCNfoVCoz6

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 14, 2018

Club director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘We are delighted to welcome Maurizio and are looking forward to him bringing his football philosophy to Chelsea.

‘Maurizio’s Napoli side played some of the most exciting football in Europe, impressing with their attacking approach and dynamism, and his coaching methods significantly improved the players at his disposal.

‘He has plenty of experience in Serie A and the Champions League and we know he is relishing the chance to work in the Premier League.’

Along with the team’s improvement in results, Sarri’s reign in Naples will be remembered for the quality of Napoli’s play. The term ‘Sarri-ball’ was coined and he also earned praise for his ability to re-shape the structure of the squad, nurturing some of the club’s younger talents with hugely positive results.