Sarri already planning for next season

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has claimed he's already started planning for next season with the Blues, despite the intense speculation still surrounding his future at the club.

It's been a less than ideal season for the west London side, whose new manager has struggled to embed his ‘Sarriball' philosophy as quickly as he would have liked. After struggling to put together a consistent run of wins throughout the campaign, the club currently face an uphill struggle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

However, a top four finish is still within their grasp following back-to-back to victories, and winning the Europa League would also afford them a spot in the lucrative European competition.

When asked about whether he would remain as ​Chelsea manager next season (via Sky Sports), ahead of his side's ​Europa League clash against Dinamo Kiev, Sarri was bullish with his answer, and claimed: “We [the club] were talking about the programme of the next pre-season, so we were trying to organise in the best way the next pre-season.

“[Speculation] is not a big problem, the problem is the results. The rest is not important in this moment. I want to win for the team, for the club, not for me. So it's not important. I was confident in the past, I am confident now but I want to think only about our performances and our results.”

The former ​Napoli manager went on to discuss his ambitions for the rest of the season, and said: “I think we can gain the spot in the Champions League through the ​Premier League. We are fighting. We are only two points [behind fourth-placed ​Manchester United] at the moment. We have to play one match [in hand].

“But the Europa League is a very important competition. It is the second competition in Europe. It's a very important trophy, and then there is a spot for the next Champions League, so it's a very important target for us.”