Paul Merson has claimed Chelsea could sack Maurizio Sarri and hire Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe.

Sarri was hired by owner Roman Abramovic last summer to help get us back challenging for the Premier League title and back into the Champions League spots, but despite the Italians run in the Europa League, the Italians first season has not been the best.

Sarri has been heavily criticised for many of his tactical decisions, and Merson claims that Howe could be the man that Abramovic hires, after becoming one of the most highly-rated managers in the Premier League.

He told Sky Sports: ‘If Roman Abramovich is still there next year and he hasn’t sold the club, Eddie Howe could be the next manager of Chelsea.’

‘I think great. ‘He plays an expansive game of football. Chelsea fans want to see action and I know the owner doesn’t go as much now but he also wants to see action.

‘Sarri was brought in to play the Napoli way. Score lots of goals and play gung-ho football.

‘It was never going to happen but Howe plays that way. He opens the game up a lot better than Chelsea do.’

Meanwhile, Sarri has claimed that the Champions League is overhyped.

Sarri has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in his first season in charge of Chelsea and there has been many surrounding the club which have already expressed their desire for Roman Abramovic.

Exclusion from the continent’s top table hampers recruitment and hits revenue, leaving Sarri’s employers possibly unimpressed with his Champions League views.

‘I think the media give the Champions League too much importance,’ said Sarri on the Sky Sports website.

‘Of course it’s the most important competition for clubs. But it’s a competition with straight elimination, so we need to play very well but you need to be lucky in that competition. I can understand if you stay in the Champions League it’s another world probably.

‘I have played two times in the Champions League and it’s clear that it’s the most important competition for clubs in Europe and as a consequence in the world I think.

‘But it’s a competition in which you need to be lucky.’

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