Chelsea’s search for a new manager could soon come to an end as they are said to have identified the man they want at the helm.
The Blues parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday after less than a year at the club. The Argentine deserves credit for the work he did in the second half of the season, but the club’s board feared the worst if he stayed on.
With Pochettino gone, Chelsea have been linked with a number of managers, and a new update has emerged about one of them.
What Chelsea have now planned to do about Enzo Maresca
Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has emerged as one of the leading contenders to get the Chelsea job.
The Italian only joined the Foxes in July 2023 and his class was evident almost immediately. Leicester were the best team in the Championship last season and are now back in the Premier League.
Maresca’s brilliant work at the King Power has not gone unnoticed.
The Guardian reveal that the 44-year-old is really admired by the recruitment team at Chelsea. They view him as a great fit to take the Blues job this summer.
So, the report claims that Chelsea are now planning to ask Leicester City for permission to speak to Maresca about becoming the club’s next manager.
The Italian has a release clause in his contract set at around £8.5 million, and the report reveals Maresca is actually interested in accepting the Chelsea role if it’s offered to him. He wants the job!
The report further adds that along with Maresca, Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna are in the running for the Stamford Bridge hot seat.
Maresca will have two years left on his Leicester City contract this summer.
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Maresca could become Chelsea’s Mikel Arteta
Like Mikel Arteta once was, Enzo Maresca was a part of Pep Guardiola‘s coaching staff at Manchester City before he joined Leicester.
The 44-year-old spent a year at the Etihad and Guardiola claimed he played an ‘incredible‘ part in helping City win the treble in the 2022/23 season.
We’ve all seen how well Arteta has done at Arsenal after learning his trade under Guardiola at Manchester City. Maresca could have a similar impact at Chelsea.
The Italian, who rejected the Sevilla job recently, has more experience as a manager than Arteta did when he left City back in 2019.
Maresca is one of the most exciting young coaches around, and if Chelsea appoint him and give him time, we’re convinced he will do a good job.