Claudio Ranieri's best quotes: From sausageman to dilly ding dilly dong

Image: Claudio Ranieri came out with some classic quotes at Leicester

Dilly ding, dilly dong! Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League so we can look forward to some more great quotes from the Italian.

With his jovial demeanour and amusing press conferences, the Italian endeared himself to the neutrals throughout Leicester's 5,000-1 title triumph.

Now he's back in England's top flight in charge of Fulham, we take a look back at some his standout statements when he was with the Foxes...

"I told them, if you keep a clean sheet, I'll buy pizza for everybody. I think they're waiting for me to offer a hot dog too."

Ranieri offers his players the promise of pizza before they finally kept their first clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in October.

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Former Fulham defender Tony Gale says Claudio Ranieri will make Fulham more disciplined and will improve their chances of avoiding relegation.

"I pay for pizza, you pay for the sausage. I am the sausageman."

Ranieri reacts to being told a Leicester butcher - W Archer & Son - had created a sausage in his honour.

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"From the beginning when something was wrong I've been saying: 'Dilly-ding, dilly-dong, wake up, wake up!' So on Christmas Day I bought for all the players and all the staff a little bell. It was just a joke."

The Italian gave his squad bells as a Christmas present in 2015 to remind them not to slip up in training.

"This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse."

Ranieri describes striker Jamie Vardy as a horse in an interview with US website the Players' Tribune.

"I say my team is like the RAF, it's fantastic - whoosh whoosh! - I love it."

Marc Albrighton, Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp are named as three of the fastest players in the top flight, leading Ranieri to compare them to the RAF.

This is not a footballer. This is a fantastic horse.
Claudio Ranieri on Jamie Vardy

"It's fantastic when you see before the match, an old lady with a Leicester shirt outside the stadium. I say: 'Unbelievable. They come from Leicester to support us.' This is my emotion."

Ranieri tries to explain his emotions after he sheds a tear following Leicester's 2-0 win at Sunderland in April 2016 which briefly put them 10 points clear.

"Now we go straight away to try to win the title. We are in the Champions League, dilly ding, dilly dong - come on. We are in the Champions League, it is fantastic, terrific. Well done to everybody.'"

Ranieri finally admitted, with four games left in 2015/16, Leicester were going for the title after sealing a Champions League group stage spot.

"It was important to keep it going until Christmas, as we are in the relegation battle. For this battle I need warriors, and they showed me what I wanted to see."

Ranieri became less playful as this season wore on and results declined, admitting the Foxes were in a relegation battle in November 2016.

"I could be (too loyal), could be. It is difficult when you achieve something so good, you want to give them one chance, two chances, three chances. Maybe now, it is too much."

In February 2017, Ranieri admitted he could have been too loyal to the misfiring players who won the title.

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