In November, he was still ahead of all other Premier League coaches, but now Chelsea FC has parted ways with Enzo Maresca. Is that even what he wants?
When Arne Slot came under increasing pressure at Liverpool FC a few weeks ago, the fans regularly chanted in support of him. For Enzo Maresca, who also had a successful debut season at Chelsea FC, it sounded different on Tuesday: “You don’t know what you’re doing,” chanted the Chelsea fans when the coach substituted Cole Palmer against Bournemouth (2-2).
Two days later, Maresca has indeed lost his job. What sounds like a mutual separation for the good of the club in the official, quote-free statement is the culmination of a rapid downward spiral after the 45-year-old Italian was voted Premier League “Manager of the Month” in November – for the second time in his career.
The astonishing 3-0 win over FC Barcelona in the Champions League and the 1-1 draw against league leaders Arsenal in late November, despite being a man down, were followed by only two wins in eight competitive games in December, including a 3-1 win over third-tier Cardiff City in the League Cup quarterfinals.
Chelsea, who were second before the Arsenal game, saw in the new year in fifth place.
Relationship between Chelsea and Maresca “completely broken”?
However, the fact that the club bosses called a crisis meeting on New Year’s Day was only marginally due to the poor results. Recently, tensions had become increasingly apparent. On December 13, after the 2-0 win against Everton, Maresca spoke of the “worst 48 hours” of his tenure “because many people did not support us.” These cryptic statements, which the former professional refused to elaborate on in the days that followed, are said to have gone down very badly with his bosses. They provided insights into the apparently troubled inner workings of the Blues.
According to the BBC, Maresca feels his work is not sufficiently appreciated, while other media outlets report that the coach would like to have more say in transfers. In addition, despite his contract running until 2029, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant is already being touted as a possible successor to the Catalan should he leave Manchester City in the summer. The Athletic reported on Thursday that Maresca had informed Chelsea at the end of October and in mid-December that he was in talks with people associated with the Sky Blues.
Although Maresca recently stated that he could “absolutely” promise to stay beyond the season, The Guardian reported that he wanted to leave the club immediately. His relationship with the club was “completely broken.” The fact that Maresca has recently been wearing official Chelsea outfits less and less often fits into the picture.
The fact is that Maresca, for whom Chelsea paid more than €11 million to then-promoted Leicester in the summer of 2024, exceeded expectations last season. In the final sprint, the youngest squad in the league managed to qualify for the Champions League, win the Conference League, and achieve a surprise triumph in the Club World Cup.
A possible successor is already being discussed
In addition to the short summer preparation, Maresca had to contend with a string of injuries during the current season. He was particularly hard hit by Levi Colwill’s cruciate ligament rupture at the start of training in the summer and the recurring enforced breaks for top scorer Palmer. Chelsea are still on course for the Champions League, for which fifth place may again be enough, as it will be for Newcastle in 2024/25. However, internal tensions seemed to overshadow everything else.
Maresca will no longer be in office by Sunday’s away game at ManCity. Liam Rosenior, who has been doing remarkable work at Chelsea’s partner club Racing Strasbourg since summer 2024, is being discussed as a possible new head coach. An interim successor is expected to be announced shortly.
