'Can I smoke there?' Former Chelsea manager gives crazy response to Saudi Arabia rumours

James Shearman

• Updated: 23 Nov 2023 21:09 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri gave a hilarious response to rumours linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.

The current Lazio head coach left the Blues in 2020, having been far from a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.

The majority of Chelsea supporters were not keen on the Italian's methodical playstyle, embodied by Jorginho in the centre of the pitch.

Sarri then went on to manage Juventus, where he was sacked in 2020, and he is now in charge of Lazio.

However, he has recently been rumoured to be heading to Saudi Arabia, though he denied those links in comical fashion.

"Saudi Arabia? Can I smoke there? Then we’ll see," he told La Repubblica.

"However, it is not a programmable thing today. If I think about the future, I would like to be the coach of Lazio at Flaminio. It’s a project in which Lotito believes in, even if obviously he wants guarantees."

Sarri on Chelsea exit

The Lazio head coach revealed in the summer that he regrets leaving Chelsea so soon.

"At Chelsea, I made a big mistake. [The mistake was] wanting to return to Italy at all costs," he told SportItalia.

"Marina [Granovskaia] stonewalled me for leaving Chelsea, I had this desire to return to Italy. Chelsea are a great club and in the following years they have brought in many young players suitable for my style.

"I experienced a particular year, in which [Roman] Abramovich couldn’t enter England and we had an owner who was not present. A fairly difficult situation, all 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, [Mason] Mount, [Hakim] Ziyech, who all suited me and my way of playing."

Club legend Frank Lampard took over from Sarri at Chelsea, finishing in the top four in his first season but getting sacked in his second.