- The Italian becomes the fourth permanent coach of the current owners’ era
- He leaves Leicester after having achieved promotion to the Premier League.
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Chelsea have confirmed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach, handing him a five-year contract with the option of a sixth in a huge show of faith in Mauricio Pochettino’s successor.
The Italian will officially start work on July 1, although he is already preparing for pre-season, having asked Chelsea’s data room to provide an analysis of each player’s performance, from youth level to the first team.
The 44-year-old also requested the information of each person he will work with at Chelsea’s training ground and began re-watching matches from the 2023-24 season with Pochettino while on holiday in Marbella.
Leicester City are owed a compensation package worth around £10m after losing Maresca, as well as six members of his staff who will join him at Chelsea, as Mail Sport revealed last week.
Co-sports directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart led the search, and the club’s owners, including Behdad Eghbali, José E. Feliciano and Todd Boehly, voted unanimously in favor of Maresca.
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Enzo Maresca (pictured) as new manager
Maresca took Leicester back to the top flight at the first moment he asked after joining in the summer of 2023.
Maresca replaces Mauricio Pochettino (above), who left the club by mutual agreement in May
They were surprised by his enthusiasm for the vacancy, as well as his vision for how he can help Chelsea regain their elite status in English and European football.
Some fans have questioned Maresca’s credentials, given he has only managed Leicester in the Championship and Parma in Serie B, but Chelsea were willing to overlook his inexperience because they feel he has a “champion mentality”.
Maresca is a former assistant to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, an association which has led to him being called ‘Diet Pep’ by some. He plans to use the first few days of preseason to explain his possession-based system to the team and emphasize why this is a winning combination that can bring immediate success.
Maresca said: “Joining Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any manager. That is why I am so excited about this opportunity. I look forward to working with a very talented group of players and staff to develop a team that continues the club’s tradition of success and make our fans proud.”
Winstanley and Stewart added in a joint statement: “He has proven to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style.”
‘Enzo has deeply impressed us in our conversations prior to his appointment. “His ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club.”
Maresca is the fourth permanent manager under owners Todd Boehly (left) and Behdad Eghbali (right).
He spent two seasons at Manchester City, including a year as assistant to Pep Guardiola (centre)
Chelsea’s ownership group said: “We are delighted to welcome Enzo to the Chelsea family. We look forward to supporting him and the rest of the team to achieve their potential and our expectations in the years to come.
“He is a very talented coach and leader who we are confident can help deliver our vision and competitive objectives for the club.”
Chelsea have expressed their gratitude to Leicester for their motherhood throughout the hiring process of their coach.
Maresca brings with him a large backroom staff, including six Leicester associates: Willy Caballero, Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez, Javier Molina Caballero and Roberto Vitiello.
His relationship with Guardiola has caused some fans to baptize him ‘Diet Pep’
They will integrate with existing staff members: goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and set-piece specialist Bernardo Cueva.
Maresca is the fourth permanent head coach to work for Chelsea since the current ownership took over in May 2022, following Pochettino, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel. Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard also previously acted as caretakers.
Other candidates for the head coaching role included Roberto De Zerbi, Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank, all of whom were on the club’s shortlist before it was revealed that Maresca had jumped ahead of his competition.