Chelsea have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new head coach on a five-year contract.
The Italian will succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge for the 2024/25 season and beyond. The Argentine left Chelsea by mutual consent following the conclusion of the bygone campaign, with the Blues managing to sneak into the Conference League with a late-season surge up the table.
Chelsea wanted to replace Pochettino with a young and progressive manager and they believe that they have managed to achieve just that with the appointment of Maresca. The 44-year-old led Leicester City to the Championship title last season, playing some of the most impressive football in England in the early parts of the campaign.
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Such had been the Foxes’ early-season dominance that they could afford to lose seven of their final 14 games and still claim the title, sealing promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
What Chelsea fans can expect from Maresca
A protégé of Pep Guardiola, the former Man City assistant’s footballing ideals are firmly in the mould of the Spaniard’s and Chelsea fans can look forward to a modern, possession-based approach under Maresca.
Chelsea reportedly paid €10 million in compensation to buy the Italian out of his Leicester contract, illustrating how highly they rate him. Maresca quickly emerged as one of the top candidates for the job and personal terms did not prove an issue.
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The likes of Kieran McKenna, Roberto de Zerbi and Thomas Frank had also been briefly considered, but Chelsea’s hierarchy quickly identified the 44-year-old as the man to build on the stabilising work of Pochettino.
Chelsea believe that Maresca can help their young, high-potential squad take the next step after an inconsistent and tactically not-always-convincing 23/24 campaign.
