English football club Chelsea FC on Sunday confirmed manager Maurizio Sarri's exit. Sarri will be leaving the club to take the managerial duties of Italy's football club Juventus.
Sarri still had two years left in his contract with Chelsea, but both Juventus and Chelsea agreed on Sarri's early contract termination.
"In talks we had following the Europa League final, Maurizio made it clear how strongly he desired to return to his native country, explaining that his reasons for wanting to return to work in Italy were significant," Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said in an official statement.
"Maurizio leaves Chelsea with thanks from us all for the work he and his assistants did during the season he spent as our head coach, and for winning the Europa League, guiding us to another cup final and a third-place finish in the Premier League. We would also like to congratulate him on securing the role as big as any in Serie A and to wish him the best of luck for the future," he added.
Sarri joined Chelsea last year and the team started on a good note under his guidance. The club was able to win five games and they were unbeaten in all competitions from the start of the league season until late November when they suffered a defeat against Tottenham Hotspurs.
The team, however, went on to face defeats in the later stages of Premier League and clearly looked out of sorts.
Chelsea went on to defeat Arsenal in Baku to ensure that the team plays Champions League next season as one of the top-seeded sides.