Enzo Maresca is officially the manager of Chelsea FC. Here are his best-ever signings before his managerial appointment, brought to you by The Chelsea Chronicle.
Despite not being in a managerial career for too long, Enzo Maresca now finds himself at the helm of Chelsea.
He succeeded Mauricio Pochettino, who lasted just a year at Cobham Training Centre, despite having an inspired end to the 23/24 campaign.
Nevertheless, the decision was made to part ways with Poch and enter a new era at Stamford Bridge with Maresca – who, with a whole new footballing philosophy, will now look to be active in the transfer market.
So, with this – here are Enzo Maresca’s top five signings before joining Chelsea.
Harry Winks
Harry Winks was sensational for Leicester City, and he was the man who arguably made Maresca’s system work at the King Power.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man played the deep-lying playmaker role which is the most integral position in Maresca’s setup.
For just £10m, he was an absolute steal and lightyears ahead of the Championship.
Stephy Mavididi
Speaking of lightyears ahead of the Championship, Stephy Mavididi was a pickup that shocked a lot of fans who are fans of major European leagues.
He was one of the shining lights in Ligue 1 for Montpellier throughout the duration of the 22/23 season, scoring 12 goals and gaining six assists in 46 games.
His fine form continued into England’s second flight with the Foxes. He was nightmarish on the left-hand side. Could Mykhailo Mudryk replicate this for Chelsea?
Mads Hermansen
There’s a reason Leicester had the best record in the division for the 23/24 season, and a huge part of that was because of Danish shot-stopper Mads Hermansen.
A fine keeper, not just with his hands, but with his feet – he fit Maresca’s style of play to a tee, which has now even flirted with the idea he could be Stamford Bridge-bound.
Gianluigi Buffon
Yes, that’s right – Maresca signed Gianluigi Buffon for Parma back in 2021. The pair played together during his time at Juventus as a player and reunited at Serie B side Parma.
Not only did he obtain the man who won a ludicrous 28 career trophies in his career, but he got him on a free!
Unfortunately for both parties, it didn’t end swimmingly. Parma could not obtain promotion, and they parted ways with Maresca at the end of the season.
Connor Coady
From a Serie A legend to a Premier League legend? Not quite, but Connor Coady was a fine acquisition for a Championship side.
The former Wolves and Everton defender, despite not featuring too much through injury, will likely remain for the Premier League campaign, so have yet to get the best out of him, but he was a steal for £7.5m.
Now, who will he bring in at Chelsea? It’s going to be an exciting transfer window for Blues supporters.