Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri knew Roman Abramovich would sack him at Chelsea

Ranieri admits his sacking as Chelsea boss was inevitable once Roman Abramovich arrived

CLAUDIO RANIERI has recalled his days in charge of Chelsea and admitted: "I knew I would be sacked as soon as Roman Abramovich arrived."

 

The Italian put the building blocks in place for the modern-day Blues in a four-year stint starting in 2000.

But when Abramovich arrived in 2003, Ranieri knew he would be replaced and in the end made way for Jose Mourinho a year later, a move that was unpopular at the time.

Now 64, Ranieri will go face-to-face with his old club and his successor at the King Power Stadium tonight as manager of Leicester on the crest of a wave.

"When he arrived did I think change was inevitable? Yes, immediately," said Ranieri, commenting on his relationship with the Russian billionaire.

 

"The sporting director Trevor Birch told me there is a new owner and I said, 'Me and you are the first who go home'.

"You imagine, the new owner arrives and he wants to put in his own men. It is normal. The new owner wanted to change something, it is normal.

"I wanted to show our best and we bought some good players. I wanted to win something.

"At Chelsea there were big foundations because there were big champions there also before Abramovich."

 

Chelsea won the first of four Premier League titles the year after Ranieri left but he is still well liked among the clubs followers.

"When I met some Chelsea fans they tell me, 'Thank you, you are the first who started to build a fantastic squad'," he said. "For me it is good.

"It is correct I signed Frank Lampard and brought John Terry through. I chose Petr Cech and had been to Eindhoven to take Arjen Robben and I suggested Didier Drogba, but that is it.

"It was different because we made a very good performance my third year, without taking no player we finished fourth. And we achieved the Champions League - for this Roman Abramovich bought the team.

"And then in July, Abramovich wanted to bring Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was the manager of the national team. It wasn't possible for him and he said, 'OK, start and we'll see what we can buy'.

 

Roman Abramovich became owner of Chelsea in 2003

"It was difficult because we bought in July and August and we started the Champions League, it was difficult to buy the right players because all the players were stopping with their squad.

"But it was good because that year we arrived second in the league and in the semi-final of the Champions League. It was a positive."

Ranieri is not one to get into battles with other managers - it is not his style - but he is all too aware that his work helped set up Mourinho's glory years during his first spell in charge.

"Jose never thanked me," he said. "But nobody needed to tell me thank you. Why?

"My job is finished there, my job finished one year before they won the title.

 

"I am very proud but I was proud also when I left Valencia and my young players twice made the final of the Champions League.

"I can say I wasn't surprised Chelsea won the league and achieve so many titles.

"Roman knows very well Jose and he knows only Jose in this moment can bring up the team. He has the quality and everything."

Ranieri is proving he is not short of quality by guiding the Foxes to the top of the League, a position which, according to Riyad Mahrez, means they can play with freedom against the stuttering champions tonight.

Mahrez, who scored a hat-trick in the Foxes' 3-0 win at Swansea last time out to take his tally for the season to 11, said: "We don't have any pressure. No one said at the beginning of the season Leicester would be first in December.