3 Possible Destinations For Maurizio Sarri

Maurizio Sarri is one of the best managers available in the football market currently. After guiding Napoli to its second runners-up finish in the Serie A in three seasons, his time with the Partenopei has finally drawn to a close. The Scudetto race last season was closely contested, with the outcome uncertain till the penultimate week.

While the ending may have been same old-same old, Napoli played beautiful attacking football and consistently churned out performances of very high quality, in large part due to Sarri. He maximized the abilities of all the players available to him and using the same core group of players that Rafael Benitez had before him, transformed the team into one which challenged Juve's domination of Italian football.

However, the relations between him and Napoli's president Aurelio De Laurentiis had turned sour in recent weeks, with De Laurentiis stating that "Time has run out" for Sarri and accusing him of being indecisive when extension talks were brought up. Napoli have now confirmed that they have parted ways with the chain-smoking tactician and have agreed a two year deal with Carlo Ancelotti instead.

Now, Maurizio Sarri has said that he is too emotionally attached to the Napoli faithful to manage immediately in Serie A again and prefers to go abroad.

While several clubs have been speculated to have been admirers of his work and talents, the biggest obstacle in signing him is the €8 million release clause that will have to be activated by other clubs wishing to acquire his services.

As expected, several clubs are keeping tabs on his situation and keenly awaiting a chance to pounce on his availability.

Here is a look at three clubs he could be heading to next:

#3 Tottenham Hotspur F.C

Sarri could be a replacement if Pochettino decides to call time on his relationship with the Spurs?

Pochettino has, over the course of his tenure, led Tottenham from strength to strength. He has overseen the assembly of a supremely skilled and talented young side brimming with potential. They have finished as runners-up once in recent years and will be moving to a new stadium this summer - expectations are at an all-time high.

All that is left for them is to lift silverware for the first time since 2008, however, despite having everything going to them, they have been unable to take the final step and win that elusive trophy. They have come very close just to bow out on a number of occasions- like the FA Cup semi-final when they lost to Manchester United.

After the match, Pochettino dropped a HUGE hint that his time at White Hart Lane may be drawing to a close, stating that Tottenham has a good project that will continue to progress regardless of whether he remains in charge or not.

Analysts from across the length and breadth of Europe were quick to speculate that Tottenham could soon part ways with Pochettino and immediately honed onto the most ideal successor- Maurizio Sarri. Even Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is rumored to be keeping tabs on Sarri should Pochettino decide to leave.

However, a few days after making the statements, Pochettino reaffirmed his commitment to the Spurs though this does little to ward off teams like Real Madrid. Real supremo, Florentino Perez is said to be a big admirer of Pochettino's work in London and reports say that should Madrid part company with Zinedine Zidane, the Argentine is in pole position to succeed him.

While Sarri's chances of taking the helm at White Hart Lane depend largely on how the situation with Pochettino pans out, it is easy to see why he could be a very good fit. Tottenham plays an attacking brand of football that Sarri has always been a big advocate of as his Napoli team are known for their similarly flowing, marauding football philosophy, moreover, Tottenham is currently at a similar stage to the Napoli team that he coached.

Both teams play attacking football and have capable squads whose steady rise has led to heightened expectations for the future, both teams are also currently struggling to take the final step and actually win silverware.

Tottenham could well provide Sarri with a change of scene and a new, fresh assignment that actually allows him to pick off from the level that he left off at his previous club. If we also take into account the increased financial power that teams in England enjoy over the teams in Italy and how that would affect his options, if it happens, could well be a match made in heaven.

#2 Zenit St. Petersburg

Zenit's players would be open to working with a magician like Sarri

Zenit has emerged as the dark horse candidate to sign Sarri this summer. While his move to St Petersburg may seem improbable, Zenit is also the club requiring his services the most. This need may push the Russians to do everything in their power to lure the Italian.

The team is currently contending with incumbent manager Roberto Mancini's decision to move on this summer. As one of the biggest clubs in Russia, the pressure is on them to sign another marquee manager who can continue to consistently deliver the goods domestically and even lead a deep run in European competitions- and Sarri is the man for the job.

It is being reported that they have offered the former Empoli boss a guaranteed €4 million for his services apart from lucrative incentive-based bonuses. Russia is set to host the FIFA World Cup next month and a number of Zenit players are in line to gain valuable international experience while playing in the tourney.

It is in the best interests of the club to capitalize on this increased visibility and exposure by maximizing the output of their squad- under the management of an astute tactician like Sarri.

The Italian may be persuaded to take up the Zenit assignment because of lucrative payments and the challenges that the assignment offers. In this case, Sarri is provided with a fresh but challenging project by Zenit in Russia. While in Napoli, Sarri focused, for most of his time there, on building a team that can challenge Juventus' domestic dominance.

However, in Zenit, he already has a squad that would be expected to win the Russian League- and the focus will be on making inroads in Europe, which is a fresh challenge altogether. He will inherit a squad that has a good mix of European pedigree, experience and young talent in players such as Aleksandr Kokorin, Leandro Paredes and Branislav Ivanovich.

The high money departures of Axel Witsel and Hulk to the CSL last season give Sarri some initial capital that can be invested in bringing in new faces to the setup. Unlike at Napoli, where De Laurentiis criticized Sarri constantly about a percieved lack of squad rotation, at Zenit Sarri will benefit from increased autonomy in squad selection and tactic employment, without external interference.

While it is not a conventional move, the host of factors in play may well motivate Sarri to take his talents to Russian shores next summer.

#1 Chelsea F.C

Stamford Bridge is said to be the next most probable destination for Maurizio Sarri

The frontrunners to secure Sarri's signature, Chelsea is currently coming off a disappointing season where they failed to secure a Top 4 finish and UCL football- for the second time in 3 years.

Incumbent manager Antonio Conte has guided his men to FA Cup honors this season, ensuring a strong end to a trying season where his squad has had issues with consistency but the rumour mill is agog with reports stating that he could soon be replaced with Maurizio Sarri.

While Conte has repeatedly reaffirmed that he intends to see out the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, Roman Abramovich may look to shake things up with a fresh appointment. The fact that Conte has been publicly critical of Chelsea's transfer business does him no favors.

He has lamented the fact that he does not have enough firepower at his hands to put up a title charge. Sarri is said to have become a frontrunner after Luis Enrique made wage demands that the Blues refused to match.

Instead, the former Premier League champions are rumored to be prepared to pay €8m to activate Sarri's release clause and risk paying Conte £9m in compensation payments for terminating his contract early.

The fact that Carlo Ancelotti has been announced as the next Partenopei manager has paved the way for Sarri to take his talents to Stamford Bridge in London- pushing Conte out of the picture. Should Sarri be appointed at Chelsea, his first assignment will be to keep Hazard in London and ward off advances from other European giants and to convince Thibaut Courtois to continue playing in England- away from his children who are based out of Madrid.

Sarri may also be the perfect replacement for Conte at Chelsea because he has the experience in making the most out of the finances available to him- as he showed at Napoli. With a new stadium in the works, Chelsea have invested a large portion of the financial outlay available to them in the near future towards construction and development- restricting funds for transfers in the process.

In such a scenario, the best person to churn out results regardless is Maurizio Sarri- as he showed at Napoli. Sarri also has a proven track record of introducing and making the most out of the abilities of promising youngsters (Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne) and a penchant for getting the best players for the best price in the transfer market (Arkadiusz Milik). In fact, he often buy or builds academy players and can even ele

While his future is still up in the air and his next destination has been the subject of much hotly contested debate, expected a blockbuster announcement regarding Sarri's next assignment in the very near future.