Maurizio Sarri: 'Pleasure to be at Chelsea'

Maurizio Sarri said that it is "a pleasure" to be Chelsea's head coach as the Italian spoke to the media for the first time since taking charge of the Premier League outfit.

Sarri was officially appointed Chelsea's new manager on Saturday, with the 59-year-old - who saw his Napoli contract expire at the end of last season - replacing Antonio Conte at the helm.

On Wednesday, Sarri was presented to the media, and revealed that he was looking forward to the "difficult challenge" of coaching in the Premier League.

"It's a pleasure for me to be here. It's a pleasure for me to be in the Premier league – the best competition in the world," Sarri told reporters.

"This is a difficult challenge but a fascinating one. Here we have the strongest coaches and players in the world. The Premier League is stronger than Serie A. Serie A is tactically difficult, but here there are stronger players. I need to have fun to do well."

Chelsea will kick off their pre-season with a clash against Perth Glory on July 23.