The press have already all but anointed Maurizio Sarri as the new Chelsea manager, but reports in Italy today have pointed out the “two walls” (due muri in Italian) that stand between the coach and his new role.
The first is pretty obvious: Antonio Conte is still Chelsea manager. With all his realistic exit routes pretty closed off now, the only solution is to sack him. That will mean Chelsea eating the cost of his third contract year, but at this stage there’s no way round that.
The second wall is perhaps a little more flexible – the compensation that the Blues will have to pay Napoli to release Sarri from his own deal. Aurelio de Laurentiis, the Napoli president, is trying to milk the London club for as much as he can, but there can still be a little room for negotiation.
At this stage, there’s not much time for penny pinching. It’s time to get the new man in so he can get his work underway.
