Chelsea’s leadership group have offered an intriguing insight into why they chose Enzo Maresca to become their new manager.
It was officially announced on Monday that the 44-year-old Italian would take over at Stamford Bridge from July 1 on a five-year contract that includes the option for a further 12 months, replacing Mauricio Pochettino, whose exit by mutual consent was confirmed a fortnight ago despite leading a late turnaround in fortunes during his lone season in charge to qualify for Europe next term.
Maresca saw off competition from ex-Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, Brentford coach Thomas Frank and Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna to land the Chelsea job, having guided Leicester to the Championship title in his first full season as a manager this term.
He previously served as an assistant to both Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham, also coaching City’s Elite Development Squad and having a brief spell in charge at Parma, where he was sacked after only six months at the helm in 2021.
A former Italy Under-21 international, Maresca had a 19-year playing career as an all-action midfielder that began in England with West Brom and also took in spells with Juventus, Fiorentina, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria, Palermo and Verona.
He is the third permanent managerial appointment already made during the two-year ownership reign of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, with Graham Potter sacked after less than seven months at Stamford Bridge last April and Pochettino then lasting just one season in the job following the interim spells of Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard.
“We are thrilled to welcome Enzo into the Chelsea family,” Chelsea’s ownership group said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting him and the rest of the sporting team in fulfilling their potential and our expectations over the years to come.
“He is a highly gifted coach and leader that we are confident can help fulfill our vision and competitive goals for the club.”
Chelsea’s influential co-sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, hailed “excellent coach” Maresca’s ambitious nature and work ethic while insisting he could deliver the desired results on the pitch while also playing an attractive brand of football.
“We are delighted to welcome Enzo to Chelsea,” they said in a joint statement. “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.”
