Insigne: "Sarri at Juventus would be treason"
The Napoli captain has said that he hopes his former boss chooses not to leave Chelsea for Northern rivals Juventus.
Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne has said that former coach Maurizio Sarri’s mooted move to Juventus would be an act of “treason”.
Napoli native Sarri left the Gli Azzurri to coach Chelsea last summer. And after just one season in England, the Italian has been tipped to take over at Juventus following the departure of former coach Massimiliano Allegri last month.
But a move to Napoli’s Northern rivals would be considered a treasonous act by Insigne, who is currently training with Italy ahead of their upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Greece and Bosnia.
Sarri at Juventus "would hurt us" - Insigne
"For us Neapolitans, Sarri at Juventus would be treason and I hope he changes the idea," said Insigne at a press conference at Italy’s Coverciano training centre in Florence.
"But you have to keep in mind that Sarri is a professional and he gave everything at Napoli. He was very important to me from many perspectives.
"If he went to Juventus he would hurt us, but I cannot blame him, it's his decision,” added the Napoli captain, who played under Sarri during the Italian coach’s three seasons at the Estadio San Paolo.
Sarri: "the call of Italy is strong”
Amid speculation linking him with the Juventus vacancy, Sarri admitted to missing Italy after a “heavy year” in England in an interview published by Vanity Fair on Monday.
"For us Italians the call of home is strong," said the Chelsea boss.
"I feel that something is missing. It has been a heavy year. I begin to feel the weight of distant friends and elderly parents I rarely see.
"But at my age, I only make professional choices. I won't be able to work for 20 years. It's hard work, the bench."
The Italian coach also admitted that when leaving Napoli, he deliberately chose a club outside of Italy so as to not upset the club and its fans. But such a swift return to his homeland to coach The Old Lady would likely not sit well with the San Paolo faithful.