Ranieri endorse Sarri to manage Chelsea

The former Blues boss has backed his compatriot to be a huge success at Chelsea should He be appointed.

Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri believes ex-Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri can succeed at Stamford Bridge if appointed by the Premier League side.

Sarri has already been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli and reports have been  linking him with Chelsea, where fellow Italian Antonio Conte is set to leave despite leading them to FA cup glory.

Ranieri – a Premier League-winning manager with Leicester City – spent four years at Chelsea before he was sacked in 2004 and he warned Sarri about owner Roman Abramovich.

"Sarri to Chelsea? It depends what Maurizio is like. He'll see little or nothing of the president," Ranieri, who left Ligue 1 outfit Nantes after just one season, told Sky Italia.

"He'll have to work hard, and that's not something he lacks." He added

"Sarri has done well at every level, including Empoli where people said he wasn't ready for big teams.

"Now they know him all over Europe and I'm sure he can take his football and his philosophy anywhere."