Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has said that he is not surprised to see Maurizio Sarri establish himself as one of the most highly-regarded coaches in world football.

Sarri almost led Napoli to the Serie A title last season, and his results in Naples resulted in Chelsea replacing Antonio Conte with his fellow countryman.

Chelsea play host to Bournemouth on Saturday, and Howe has heaped praise on the Italian having spent a small period of time learning from Sarri during his spell at Empoli.

At a press conference, the 40-year-old told reporters: "I'd heard a lot about his Empoli team and how impressive they were tactically, so I was really keen to go and watch him work, so we made contact with his people and he was kind enough to allow us to come," Howe said.

"I actually don't remember the year that I went, but I spent a period of time with Maurizio and he was brilliant with me and I learnt so much. It's no surprise to see that he's one of the best coaches in the world.

"What I saw, I was hugely impressed by and learned a lot from that experience. He brought his Napoli team to play us last year as well - they trained here for a couple of days, we played them and it was great to see him again."

Both teams head into the fixture at Stamford Bridge having yet to lose a game in the Premier League this season.