Maurizio Sarri has revealed he rarely communicates with Roman Abramovich and denied the Chelsea owner ordered him to give Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek more playing time.
Abramovich has not visited Stamford Bridge since the UK government denied his request to extend his investor visa last year, despite the fact he is able to enter the country on an Israeli passport after gaining citizenship.
His absence — as well as his decision to halt the proposed £1 billion redevelopment of Stamford Bridge — has prompted speculation that he is prepared to sell Chelsea, despite the repeated insistence of club officials that he is as invested in the team’s success as ever.
Asked if he was concerned by a report in the Times this week revealing that Abramovich did not pay for an executive box at Stamford Bridge this year for the first time in a decade, Sarri said: “I don’t think so. He has some problems now, but he is involved with the club, with the team.”
Clarifying that Chelsea assistant Gianfranco Zola communicates with Abramovich more frequently than he does because of his superior command of English, Sarri added: “He is the owner, and so he is able to influence the technical staff, the club, the players, everything I think.
“Also in Naples, the president Aurelio [De Laurentiis] wasn’t in the training ground every day. He was in the training ground once a month, no more. So it’s really very similar.”
Abramovich’s influence does not extend as far as team selection however, according to Sarri. When it was suggested that he had been put under pressure to play the likes of Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek more often, the Italian replied: “No — it’s up to the players. They are improving. In this moment of the season, they are fresh. So I think that, in this moment, they are really very important for us.