Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri made a funny joke when he was asked if he would like to take a job in the Saudi Pro League

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Ken Ibenne

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May 8, 2023
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The Saudi Pro League have been in the market lately and have been busy signing high-profile player, coaches, and even directors.

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Maurizio Sarri, who was the Chelsea head coach from 14 July 2018 to 16 June 2019, is currently the head coach of Serie A side Lazio. Yet, the 64-year-old tactician is being targeted by the Saudi side after he helped Lazio finish 2nd in the league last season.

The Lazio manager was recently asked if he would take a job in Saudi Arabia, and he responded by saying: “Coach in Saudi Arabia? Can I smoke there? Then we'll see…”

Maurizio Sarri is known as a good coach, however, he is also known to be a chain smoker and he averages around 60 cigarettes a day.


Maurizio Sarri's former club, Napoli even built him a smoking arena in their home stadium, with Europa League opponents RB Leipzig creating an isolated area in the away dressing room for a European tie.

Currently, stadiums have become non-smoking venues and this means that he could be banned for smoking on the touchline.

However, the Italian veteran manager has been seen on several occasions chewing a cigarette on the touchline.

The manager is now in his third contract year with Lazio following his arrival in the summer of 2021, after Simone Inzaghi was dismissed.

Maurizio Sarri is contracted to Lazio until the summer of 2025 after he guided them to a second-place finish in Serie A last season, taking the team back to the Champions League.

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Though the team has struggled under Maurizio Sarri in the new season, the Biancocelesti are still on track to qualify for the Round of 16 in Europe.

He openly revealed that he wants to finish his career with Lazio, saying: “I would like it to be like this. I don't set time limits, so it's not just up to me.”


Maurizio Sarri​


Maurizio Sarri is an Italian professional football manager who was born on 10 January 1959 and is the current manager of Serie A club Lazio.

Surprisingly, Sarri was never a professional footballer in his youth days as he took part as an amateur center-back and coach while working as a banker.

However, in 2005, he had his first Serie B job at Pescara, and in 2014, Sarri won promotion to Serie A with Empoli, and after preserving their place in the top flight he was hired by Napoli.

As a manager at Napoli, Sarri won several individual awards and after finishing as league runners-up in 2017–18, Sarri moved to English club Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Europa League in his only season with the club.

He returned to where it all started - Italy - but this time with Juventus in 2019 where he won the Serie A title in his first season with the club and became the oldest manager to ever win the Scudetto.