Maurizio Sarri setting his hopes high at Chelsea ahead of season curtain-raiser against Manchester City

The Italian said he wants to manage 'for ten years' at Chelsea but understands that success and success alone is the key to longevity in this day and age

Maurizio Sarri has only had his feet under the table at Chelsea for three weeks, and yet the Italian already has his heart set on an extended stay at Stamford Bridge. Ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield match against Manchester City, Sarri declared his intentions to remain at the club “for ten years,” while revealing the role Pep Guardiola played in convincing him to move to England.

Sarri is nothing if not ambitious. Of Chelsea’s last seven managers, only Jose Mourinho has lasted longer than two seasons. And the last manager to enjoy a decade at the club? That would be Scotsman Billy Birrell, who was appointed a few months before the Second World War broke out.

And yet Sarri — whose longest spell in charge of a club was at Napoli, where he stayed for the grand total of three campaigns before Chelsea came calling — is aiming big. He signed a three-year deal at Chelsea when he agreed to replace Antonio Conte but is already planning on staying in south-west London for far longer.

“It depends on the club,” the Italian replied when asked how long he envisaged lasting in his new position. “I want to stay here for ten years, although I know I have to win. It depends on the club of course, but I want to stay here for a long time.”

How long Sarri is given at Chelsea largely depends on how many trophies he can collect, with Roman Abramovich desperate to see the club back in the title mix after a disappointing campaign under Conte last season. Winning the Community Shield would then represent an encouraging start for Sarri — who is yet to lift a notable trophy — although Guardiola’s City will start the match as favourites.

“It’s important to start with a trophy,” Sarri agreed at Chelsea’s training ground on Friday. “It is very important to prepare for the way forward, so it is very important we win something.”

Ironically, if it wasn’t for Guardiola, who Sarri describes as “the best coach in the world”, the Italian may never have ended up at Chelsea at all. Sarri said he had sought the Catalan’s counsel ahead of agreeing to a move to the Premier League, revealing that Guardiola had spoken of his considerable surprise of the demands of English football, before recommending the move.

“Guardiola told me that here in England it is very difficult, and that the level is very high,” Sarri added. “He said that he had some problems in his first season, but also he said that football is football everywhere.

Sarri said Guardiola had helped to convince him of the move to Chelsea (AFP/Getty Images)

“And, for me, Guardiola is a friend. But it is unfortunate for us that he is the best coach in the world now, or one of the best. So the match is very difficult for us for that reason. They have been all together for two years while we only started two and a half weeks ago. So it will be very difficult match for us.”

The fact that Chelsea will be without several of their first-choice players who enjoyed extended stays after the World Cup only makes the match an even more difficult proposition. The likes of Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian will all be absent, although at least there was a positive update on the latter.

After the loss to Dublin, a stern-sounding Sarri acknowledged that he would require “urgent talks” with Willian — who returned five days late to pre-season training because of an outdated passport. But Sarri revealed that the talks had gone positively, revealing that he was now “very confident” the Brazilian would remain at the club, despite persistent rumours he is set to move to La Liga.

“I spoke with him [on Thursday] about being late,” Sarri added. “It was a very positive conversation so I am happy about it. I think that there is no longer a Willian problem.” When asked if he was confident Willian would stay at the club, Sarri replied: “Very confident.”