Chelsea wasted little time in living up to their usual stereotype when the Premier League season ended this month as they parted company with Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine parted company with the club after a season which saw the Blues’ Premier League position improve from 12th in 2022/23 to sixth place, while they would also reach the final of the League Cup and semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Chelsea are now on the hunt for a fourth permanent manager in the last four years, with Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca the frontrunner. Here’s a closer look at the Italian and why the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge have placed him at the top of their most-wanted list.
Background
Enzo Maresca was born in Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy and began his youth career with AC Milan, before a stint at Cagliari.
He would head to England as an 18-year-old to kick off his progressional career at West Bromwich Albion in 1998, turning out in midfield for the Baggies for 18 months in the second tier before Juventus signed him for £4.3million in January 2000.
He would earn 15 Italy U21 caps before a journeyman career followed as he notched up spells at nine more clubs over the next 16 years, including stints in Spain and Greece.
Move into management
Maresca’s first coaching position came as an assistant coach at Italian second-tier side Ascoli in 2017. His next move would be a 2020 switch to Manchester City where he became manager of their Elite Development Squad, winning the Premier League 2 title in his first season.
He returned to Italy with Parma in the summer of 2021, but the axe quickly fell as he struggled to lead the team into the Serie B promotion places and he was dismissed in November of that year.
A return to Manchester City in 2022 saw him appointed as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistant managers, where he helped the side achieve their historic treble.
That saw him emerge on Leicester City’s radar and he was appointed Foxes boss last June, tasked with leading them back to the Premier League following their relegation last season.
What he has accomplished and why do Chelsea want him?
Maresca’s success at Leicester City saw him land his first senior managerial honour as he led the Foxes to the Championship title. Leicester began the season with a record-breaking run of wins, and although their form would dip over the second half of the season amid criticism his side had been ‘found out’, they would end up with 97 points, pipping Ipswich Town to the title.
The 44-year-old is yet to manage a top-flight team, but does have his experience as one of Guardiola’s assistants to fall back on as he looks to emulate another of the former Barcelona bosses’ lieutenants in Mikel Arteta.
Maresca looked to bring a Manchester City-esque style of play to Leicester this season, including incorporating patient build-up play with the use of inverted full-backs. His background has given him an in-depth knowledge of the game and he has plenty of tactical acumen, which combined with a clear footballing philosophy is likely to appeal to Chelsea.
'The best manager I've worked for'
Leicester City midfielder Harry Winks, who has been managed by Pochettino, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, believes Maresca is the best boss he has played under.
“He’s by far the best manager I’ve worked for,” Winks told Sky Sports in March. “He’s incredible. I think everybody will say he’s going right to the top in [terms of] managerial stature. He’s got everything. He’s a great man-manager. He’s tactically incredible, some of the decisions that he tells us to do before the game and how he views the match is something I’ve never experienced before in football.
“It’s opened my eyes a lot to football in the way it’s played and the kind of Pep Guardiola style as well, I know he worked with him for a long time. I think since he has come in, I’ve learned so much and continue to do that.”
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