Chelsea finally confirmed on Monday that Enzo Maresca is the club’s new head coach after weeks of speculation.
Enzo Maresca, 44, will officially begin his new role at Stamford Bridge on 1 July on a five-year contract, with a club option of a further year.
The Italian manager has landed the job at Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor after guiding Leicester City to promotion from the Championship last season. However, next year will be his first campaign as a senior coach in the Premier League.
Maresca isn’t brand new to the Premier League because he’s previously been the assistant boss at both Manchester City and West Ham, but this is a huge step up as the main man in Chelsea’s dugout.
How Enzo Maresca stood out to Chelsea
Football.London has explained that Chelsea’s sporting directors and ownership group all came to the consensus that Maresca was the correct appointment after conducting a manager search.
It is claimed that Chelsea believe Maresca has a ‘champion’s mentality’ and that is one of the factors that set him apart from other candidates.
The report says that the Blues went with the Italian coach over alternative options Kieran McKenna, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Sebastian Hoeness.
A champion at Leicester
In his first full season as a senior manager, Maresca proved his quality by clinching the Championship league title as part of the promotion success.
His Foxes team, playing a clear brand of possession-based football, recorded 97 points to top the league table. It was a very impressive return of 31 wins in the 46-game league season.
On top of last year with Leicester, Maresca was on the coaching staff as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during Manchester City’s famous treble-winning season.
There’s no doubt Maresa’s mind has been drilled into winning and success after working for the well-oiled Man City machine at the Etihad Stadium.
Hopefully, Chelsea’s newest head coach can turn the young and talented group at the Bridge into winners.