LONDON: Maurizio Sarri said being appointed Juventus’ new head coach was the “crowning achievement” of his long career and he welcomed a return to Italy following a year in the English Premier League with Chelsea. The Serie A champions appointed Sarri on a three-year contract earlier this week after agreeing a compensation fee with Chelsea and the 60-year-old replaces Massimiliano Allegri, who stepped down at the end of the season. “It’s the crowning achievement of a long career,” Sarri told reporters. “At Napoli I gave my all, then I decided to have a great experience in the Premier League. “Juventus are the best Italian club right now and offered me a chance to return to Italy. It’s been a long journey for me made up of gradual steps. I’m happy to be at the most important team in Italy and this is a further step forward after the experience at Chelsea.” Sarri coached Juventus’ rivals Napoli between 2015 and 2018 and nearly broke their stranglehold on the league in his final season. The Naples side ran Juventus close in the title race before falling four points short. “For three years I would wake up and think about how to defeat Juventus, because they were a winning team,” Sarri added. “I gave 110% but we still couldn’t do it. It was an experience and I will now give everything for this club.” Although Sarri won the Europa League with Chelsea and led them to a third-placed league finish, the fans did not take to the style of play he tried to implement, which worked wonders for him at Napoli.