According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who bemoan the fact Sarri is now likely to sit out the game for 12 months.
Chelsea were close to appointing Sarri as their new manager, with Antonio Conte set to leave.
However, their unwillingness to trigger his £7m release clause from Napoli cooled their interest.
And upon hearing about the manager’s reported ‘previous behaviour’ – including alleged homophobic abuse of Roberto Mancini last season – Chelsea ended their pursuit.
But Corriere dello Sport claim it is bad for football that Sarri, 59, will not be in management next term.
The Italian is still employed at Napoli but was replaced this summer by Carlo Ancelotti.
It means football will be deprived of what is dubbed ‘Sarri-ball’ – a sort of possession-based rapid attack style of play mastered by Sarri’s Napoli.
Corriere have dedicated their front page to depicting an image of Sarri feeding pigeons on a park bench, suggesting his talent is being wasted due to his contract impasse with Napoli.
As for Chelsea, Sky Sports claim they are now closing in on appointing Laurent Blanc as their new manager.
It would mean axing Conte, who will likely demand the full £9m remaining on his contract.