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ENZO MARESCA has officially been appointed as Chelsea’s new manager.
The Italian has inked a five-year-deal at Stamford Bridge with the option of a sixth.
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Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart identified the former Leicester City boss as their first-choice candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
And the duo secured the 44-year-old’s services after meeting with him in Marbella and hashing out a compensation package for his coaching staff – on top of the £10million they are set to pay for the coach.
On joining the Blues, Maresca said: “To join Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any coach. It is why I am so excited by this opportunity.
“I look forward to working with a very talented group of players and staff to develop a team that continues the club’s tradition of success and makes our fans proud.”
The club’s co-sporting directors said on the appointment: “We are delighted to welcome Enzo to Chelsea.
“He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style.
“Enzo has deeply impressed us in our discussions leading up to his appointment.
“His ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club. We thoroughly look forward to working with him.”
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Maresca, who worked under Pep Guardiola at Man City, is keen to bring his own men with him as Pochettino’s team left followed the former Tottenham boss out the Stamford Bridge exit door.
It will see former Chelsea goalkeeper, Willy Caballero, return to Stamford Bridge.
Also on Maresca’s staff are Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez and Javier Molina Caballero.
Chelsea were keen to be respectful towards Leicester throughout the process given their good relationship with the Foxes.
The club’s ownership – Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital – believe Maresca is the ideal fit for their new look Chelsea.
The Blues top brass view the former Juventus midfielder as a head coach who will fit in with and respect their sprawling structure.
Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
ENZO MARESCA is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
Winstanley and Stewart worked through a shortlist of candidates last week which also included Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, Brentford‘s Thomas Frank and former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
But it was Maresca who stood out.
As well as his storming season with Leicester, the ex-West Ham coach worked with both Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia during his time in Manchester City‘s academy and first-team coaching staff.
He also worked alongside Joe Shields, Chelsea’s recruitment director, during his time in Manchester.
Maresca’s managerial record
Here is a look at Enzo Maresca’s record as a manager…
- Clubs: Parma and Leicester City
- Games: 95
- Wins: 59
- Draws: 14
- Losses: 22
- Goals scored: 212
- Goals conceded: 108
- Points per game: 2.01
- Win percentage: 62.1%
- Honours: Championship, 2024
It is, however, somewhat of a leap of faith for the Blues, who are replacing an established boss with a coach who has one year’s experience of managing in English football.
The first signing of the Maresca era at Stamford Bridge also looks set to swiftly follow him through the door, with Tosin Adarabioyo set to confirm his move after undergoing a medical later this week.
Leicester are now also on the hunt for a new manager themselves.
There is no favourite at this early stage and no talks have taken place with prospective candidates – but West Brom boss Carlos Corberan is being considered.
The ex-Huddersfield manager guided the Baggies to the play-offs this season despite not spending a single penny on new signings.
Corberan’s men fell short, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Southampton in their semi-final.
However, the energetic Spaniard’s stock remains high and he is regarded as one of the most tactically astute managers in the Championship.
Why Leicester fans WON’T miss Maresca
IT IS fair to say most Leicester fans were not exactly pleading with Maresca to stay, writes Graeme Bryce
OK, they were not queueing up and offering to drive him to Stamford Bridge.
But there will not be too many tears shed or much wailing at the King Power either.
The fans’ attitude to losing their incredibly successful boss could be summed up in a word: ‘Meh’.
Maresca failed to win over the paying public who never really took to his patient, possession-based style of football.
Having been brought up — some would say spoiled — by the swashbuckling title winners of 2016, with Jamie Vardy spearheading manager Claudio Ranieri’s shock champions, Maresca never really got off the ground at the King Power.
So it will be interesting to see what Chelsea’s notoriously impatient fans make of Maresca’s ‘death by a thousand cuts’ style of play.
It was not long before some of the old-school Leicester fans started moaning that Maresca’s patient, play-out-from-the-back style was becoming too boring to watch.
During a 3-1 win over Swansea which left them ten points clear at the top, there were moans and groans coming from the stands amid cries of, ‘Get the ball forward’.
Fans accused him of stubbornly sticking to his Plan A — even when it was not working — and claimed he was way too slow to make substitutions.
But one thing Blues fans can look forward to is his man-management and his attention to detail.
And the Foxes players also adored their manager.
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