Enzo Maresca doesn’t want to sign a £110m Todd Boehly target for Chelsea, according to a recent report.
Maresca was a surprising appointment following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure but fans appear to be warming to it.
The Italian head coach was mentored by Pep Guardiola and plays a similar brand of football to the Manchester City boss.
That said, he’ll be eager to add new profiles to the squad in the window to fit his system and it appears he’s against the idea of bringing in a Boehly target.
Enzo Marecsa doesn’t want Chelsea to sing Victor Osimhen
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, via Tutto Mercato, Maresca isn’t keen on the idea of signing Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian is expected to cost around £110m this summer and it had been mooted that Chelsea were keeping close tabs on him.
However, Maresca doesn’t appear to fancy Osimhen despite his prolific goal record for the Serie A side, netting 48 goals in the last two campaigns.
Romelu Lukaku was linked with a move to Napoli following news of Antonio Conte’s imminent arrival and a swap deal with Osimhen had been discussed but that deal is expected to be off.
Enzo Maresca will want a link-up striker
Maresca will be keen to add a striker who can drop into deep areas and link the play, which he clearly feels Osimhen doesn’t excel at.
At Leicester, the former City assistant used Kelechi Iheanacho in that role earlier in the campaign and indeed Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka, who altered their games.
He was persistent in selecting Daka despite fan backlash but that was due to the Zambian’s excellent pressing – another trait which will determine who Chelsea sign this summer.
Whilst Osimhen is a deadly finisher, Maresca clearly wants much more than that up front and seems happy to sacrifice goals for a more systematic build-up, placing emphasis on the wide players to contribute in the attacking phase.