MAURIZIO SARRI says he made a ‘sensational mistake’ by leaving Chelsea.
The Italian also revealed he would have loved to work with England ace Mason Mount and several other Blues stars who arrived after he left.
Sarri, 62, was Blues boss for one season only – 2018-19 – coming third in the Premier League and winning the Europa League after arriving from Napoli.
But he left at the end of the campaign to return to Italy to be closer to his elderly parents in his homeland.
The chain-smoking gaffer then took charge at Juventus but only lasted 14 months.
Having been jobless since last August, Lazio announced the veteran boss is set to take charge at the Stadio Olimpico this summer with a hilarious tweet poking fun at his tobacco habit.
And in his first interview in nearly a year, the wily old boss revealed his regret at leaving Stamford Bridge.
He told SportItalia: “I had more fun at Napoli [than Juventus]. And [also] the last few months at Chelsea.
“At Chelsea I made a sensational mistake, that of wanting to return to Italy at all costs. Marina [Granovskaia] stonewalled me to leave Chelsea, I had this desire to return to Italy.”
Since Sarri’s departure, Mount has forced his way into the first team and has become one of England’s brightest talents.
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The club also heavily invested in their playing squad and Sarri rues the fact he was not around long enough to work with some of them.
He added: “Chelsea are a great club, in the following years they signed many young players suitable for me.
“I lived a rather difficult situation, everything in the hands of Marina and she had a thousand problems to solve.
“The football aspect was in the hands of the staff, not having the economic power available. Then came [Timo] Werner, [Kai] Havertz, Mount, [Hakim] Ziyech: all suitable for me and my way to play.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
