Sarri unsure if Hazard and Courtois will stay
Chelsea's new boss says the board will decide Belgian duo's future
The future of Chelsea's Belgian duo Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois will be decided by the Chelsea board, said the club's new manager Maurizio Sarri yesterday.
The 59-year-old Italian speaking at his unveiling, after being appointed the successor to sacked compatriot Antonio Conte, admitted to being disinterested by the transfer market.
This will be music to the board's ears as one of the reasons for Conte falling out badly with them shortly after guiding the club to the English Premier League title last year was his carping over a lack of say in buying new players and the ones being bought were not of the same level to those who left.
Hazard and Courtois both shone at the World Cup - the latter winning the Golden Glove for goalkeeper of the tournament as Belgium finished a best-ever third - but, with their contracts running down, have been linked with moves to Spain.
Hazard said after the Belgians beat England 2-0 in the third place play-off last Saturday, it "might be time to discover something different," and Real Madrid are prepared to pay a reported £200 million (S$356m) for the Belgian playmaker.
Sarri, who forged his reputation in charge of Napoli guiding them to runners-up twice and third in his other season, said of course it would be for the better to keep the best players but, at the end of the day, it isn't his priority.
I know this will be an extremely difficult challenge for me. I have not asked anything of anyone.Chelsea’s new boss Maurizio Sarri
"Clearly, we would always like to keep all the strongest players," said Sarri, who began in English but switched to his native Italian so he did not "say anything wrong".
"This is what any manager wants to do, this is what any club wants to do. Then we will have to see how the transfer market goes over the next few days.
"I think that I am one of the few managers who is bored by the transfer market. I don't want to talk about the transfer market and I'm not that interested in it."
However, one of his first signings is Italy's Brazil-born midfielder Jorginho, who has followed him from Napoli.
Sarri, a chain-smoking former banker, said he came to the Chelsea job with an open mind and had chosen not to ask his successor at Napoli and former Chelsea handler Carlo Ancelotti for any advice or insight into a post that has seen many different faces down the years since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
He said: "I know this will be an extremely difficult challenge for me. I have not asked anything of anyone."
Despite having won no silverware, Sarri was named Serie A coach for the 2016/17 season and has praised Conte for what he had achieved in his two-year spell at the club.
"All good things Antonio Conte did must be left. They must not be changed." said Sarri.
He added that he would not go into the discussions he had with Abramovich, who was recently embroiled in a visa dispute with the British authorities.
"They have just asked me to build a season to be competitive in all competitions," said Sarri. "Then during the season, we'll see whether we want to have more specific objectives."
As FA Cup winners, Chelsea play champions Manchester City in the Community Shield on Aug 5 before their first EPL match against Huddersfield Town on Aug 11. - AFP
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