Maurizio Sarri wants to stay at Chelsea and believes he is the man to close the gap on Premier League pacesetters Liverpool and Manchester City.
The former Napoli coach is confident he can turn Chelsea into title contenders in two years, insisting he is intent at remaining at Stamford Bridge despite constant speculation linking him with a return to Italy.
Chelsea are likely to appoint a technical director to bridge the gap between board and coaching staff this summer, and it remains to be seen whether Sarri will stay put in west London.
But the 60-year-old former banker remains adamant he can deliver the success craved by the Blues.
“The Premier League is wonderful and I want to remain in the Premier League,” said Sarri.
“I want to remain at Chelsea, because the level is very, very high.
“The atmosphere in the stadiums is really fantastic. And so it’s a wonderful championship. I’d like to remain here.
“But I am not sure that, in two seasons, we will be able to be better than them.
“When I arrived in Naples, Napoli were, in the table the season before, 24 points from Juventus.
“In the first season we arrived to nine points from Juventus, second season to six points, third season to four points.
“For us it was impossible to cover completely the gap, but at the end of the third season, we were very close to doing it.”
The Blues can give their quest for a top-four Premier League finish a sizeable boost should they win at Manchester United on Sunday.