Maurizio Sarri has spoken out in defence of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich after reports emerged the billionaire owner did not pay for corporate hospitality at Stamford Bridge for the first time in nearly a decade.
A long-running issue regarding Abramovich’s UK citizenship has lead the Russian oligarch to take Israeli citizenship, but Chelsea’s Italian boss Sarri remained insistent that Abramovich is still actively involved in club affairs at Stamford Bridge.
“He has some problems now, but he is involved with the club, with the team,” said Sarri.
“He is the owner, and so he is able to influence the technical staff, the club, the players, everything I think”.
Sarri outlined that his assistant, Gianfranco Zola, is in more regular contact with Chelsea’s owner, largely owing to stronger linguistic skills.
Asked regarding his contact with the club’s owner, Sarri said: “More Zola than me. Because Zola speaks English better than me, of course.”
The Blues are set to host West Ham on Monday evening as the race for Champions League qualification hots up, with Sarri’s side sitting on 63 points and firmly in contention.
Their pursuit of the top-four will be aided by the emergence of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who Sarri revealed last week is now ‘ready’ to start for the club, now holding the rare statistic of having equal league starts and international starts for his country.
Sarri revealed he feels no pressure to play academy graduates such as Hudson-Odoi or Ruven Loftus-Cheek, insisting the onus is on the player’s to give him a decision he cannot represent.
“No. It’s up to the players, they are improving” said Sarri regarding pressure to select academy graduates.
“In this moment of the season, they are fresh. So I think that, in this moment, they are really very important for us.
“But at the beginning of the season, Odoi had very great potential but wasn’t ready to play in the Premier League.
“Loftus the same. He had only to adapt to my football, to improve tactically for my football.
“Then he had a lot of problems with his back, and so we had to wait for him. But now they are fresh; they are ready.”
Sarri also re-iterated he wants to see Frenchman Olivier Giroud remain at Chelsea beyond this season. The World Cup winner’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires this summer, but the Italian outlined that he expects the club to exercise a one-year extension option on his contract.
“Yes, of course. I know the club have an option for another season, so I think he will remain.”
