Chelsea look to be close to appointing Mauricio Pochettino’s successor.
The Blues have been looking for someone to replace Mauricio Pochettino since last week after the Argentine departed the club by mutual consent.
Several managers have been linked with the vacancy, including Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford’s Thomas Frank.
However, there now appears to be a frontrunner for the Chelsea job.
Chelsea’s No.1 target
It was claimed that Roberto De Zerbi was the favourite for the gig at Stamford Bridge, but that no longer looks to be the case, if it ever was.
According to The Telegraph, it is Maresca who has become Chelsea’s No.1 target after the club’s ownership requested official permission to speak to him.
The same outlet claims that the Italian is now close to leaving Leicester and taking over their Premier League rivals.
Maresca was the man to take the Foxes back to the English top flight after guiding them to promotion from the Championship this season.
Should Enzo Maresca be Chelsea’s No.1 target?
Honestly, you cannot help but feel that Chelsea may be missing a trick by not going all out for De Zerbi, who has been hailed as “incredible” by Harry Winks.
The 44-year-old has managed in the Premier League before, unlike Maresca, and has shown that his football does work in the division.
He guided Brighton & Hove Albion to sixth place last season, earning them a spot in the Europa League. That is where Chelsea finished this term, though they will be in the Europa Conference League in the 2024/25 campaign.
With even better tools at Chelsea, it is exciting to think about what De Zerbi could possibly achieve at Stamford Bridge.
However, with the Blues seemingly prioritising Maresca, it does not look like Chelsea supporters will get to see the former Brighton boss in their dugout next season.