Enzo Maresca has been announced as Chelsea’s new head coach.
The Italian leaves newly-promoted Leicester, in a deal worth around £9million, after delivering the Championship title this term to succeed Mauricio Pochettino, who departed Stamford Bridge by mutual consent after only one season at the club. Maresca will be officially unveiled later this week.
Maresca has signed a five-year deal, with the option of a further season, and brings with him a six-strong backroom staff with him, headed by his assistant and former Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero. Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez, Javier Molina Caballero and Roberto Vitiello complete the support staff and will slot in alongside Chelsea’s existing backroom team members.
Maresca becomes Chelsea’s sixth manager under new owners Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, including temporary appointments.
In a statement, he 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.”
Chelsea’s ownership group added: “We are thrilled to welcome Enzo into the Chelsea family. 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.”
The Italian previously managed Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, winning the Premier League 2 title with Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia, and had his first senior management spell back in Italy with Parma, where he was sacked after only six months after winning just four of 14 matches.
A return to City then beckoned, with Maresca serving as one of Pep Guardiola’s trusted assistants before being appointed as Leicester boss last summer following their relegation from the Premier League.
Despite a late-season wobble amid the distraction of the club’s financial issues, Maresca did eventually succeed in guiding the Foxes back to the top flight at the first time of asking, winning 31 of 46 matches to finish top and a point clear of runners-up Ipswich.
A Leicester statement read: “Given the promising foundations established during his single season in charge, the Club is disappointed that Enzo has decided at this stage that he no longer wants to be part of our vision.
“However, with Enzo’s decision made and the Board’s terms for his departure met, we wish him well in his future endeavours. He leaves with the appreciation of everyone at the Club for his work in helping us to achieve an immediate return to the Premier League during the 2023/24 season.”
Former Italy Under-21 international Maresca also experienced English football as a player, beginning his senior career at West Brom in the late 1990s after youth spells at AC Milan and Cagliari, later turning out for Juventus, Fiorentina, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Malaga, Sampdoria and Palermo during a 19-year career as an all-action midfielder.
Maresca is also reported to have turned down a potential return to Sevilla as manager this summer as he looks to make his mark in the Premier League.
Maresca will be tasked with improving Chelsea’s fortunes after a dismal few years and a disappointing start to the ownership by Boehly and Clearlake Capital, with Pochettino enduring a difficult time after succeeding interim boss Frank Lampard last summer before engineering an impressive late-season turnaround that saw them finish sixth in the Premier League table and qualify for the Europa Conference League next term.
Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have already been discussing transfer targets with Maresca,and his arrival will accelerate their summer plans.
Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo is poised to complete a free transfer to the Blues, after the expiration of his contract with neighbours Fulham. A medical is expected this week for Marsesca’s first signing, then a clutch of departures may follow swiftly.
Chelsea have long maintained they will meet all Premier League financial rules, but could still look to wrap up some fast sales before the June 30 deadline for the top-flight’s 2023-24 Profit and Sustainability Regulations.
Armando Broja is expected to leave permanently this summer, and Wolves, Monaco and Bologna are all pushing hard for a swift deal to land the Albania striker. A number of Bundesliga clubs, as well as Premier League suitors, have also retained long-term interest in the 22-year-old, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Fulham.
Ian Maatsen will be another to leave Chelsea this summer, with the left-back likely to turn his Borussia Dortmund loan into a permanent switch.
Dortmund are not thought to have exclusivity on the option of securing Maatsen’s services, but Saturday’s beaten Champions League finalists are still expected to complete a deal for the 22-year-old.
Conor Gallagher, captain under Pochettino for large parts of the season due to first-choice skipper Reece James’ continual injury troubles, is also expected to leave, along with Trevoh Chalobah. The sale of two homegrown talents will go down as ‘pure profit’ under PSR rules.
