The new Chelsea manager’s time in Serie A involved allegations of inappropriate remarks, including to a female reporter.

In January 2016, Sarri was fined €20,000 and handed a two-match touchline ban after making homophobic comments towards then Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini.

The 59-year-old former Napoli boss admitted he has made mistakes but said they were not a true representation of his character.

“People make mistakes. Those who know me very well cannot define me in this way. Neither homophobic, nor sexist, or racist. Absolutely not,” he said at his Stamford Bridge unveiling yesterday.

“I’m an extremely open person and I do not have these kind of problems.

“I hope I will be able to show this when I’m working here and when I’m living here.

“These mistakes were made, yes, but when somebody makes a mistake they must apologise and accept that some allegations could be made by the press.

“A professional and ethical attitude is very important. More than apologies.

I hope you will have the chance to know me better and I hope you will forget about this very quickly.

Explaining previous incidents, he added: “One of these mistakes was made when I was angry.

“Another one was not even a mistake. It was a journalist with whom I shared a joke for three years.

“It was misconstrued.”

Sarri wants to meet Real Madrid targets Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois for face-to-face talks in order to convince them their futures lie with Chelsea.

Sarri faces a battle to keep hold of his star players after replacing Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s failure to qualify for the Champions League will not aid Sarri’s cause but he is hopeful his coaching methods can convince the pair to stay.

“The players you are referring to are very high level players and I would like to keep them in my squad,” he said.

“A telephone call without looking them in the eyes would not give me any certainty.

“I would like to meet these players face to face, talk to them, and understand what the best thing to do would be for everyone.

“Before that I would also like a player to come on the pitch for four or five days together with me, to have a clear idea of what the situation is.

“Hazard is a very high-level player. He’s one of the top two or three European players.”

Sarri revealed the only target set by Chelsea is to be competitive this season.

He said his primary aim was to enjoy the role without fear of the sack.

“If I was someone who always worried, probably I would do another job. The job means risks, but also a lot of satisfaction,” he said.

“What happened in Chelsea in the past does not concern me. I am not afraid, I don’t want to be afraid.

My personal objective is to have fun, because I think in life the biggest gift you can receive is have fun while you do your job.