Chelsea has announced this evening Mouricio Pochettino replacement as Chelsea new head coach
Enzo Maresca will sign a five-year contract with Chelsea, with the option for an additional year, and his arrival is expected to be announced before the end of the week.
The Italians will succeed. Maurico Pochettino is at Stamford Bridge, having taken Leicester City back to the Premier League after winning the Championship.
According to the Daily Telegraph, attorneys are finalizing a contract between the club and Maresca, with an announcement possible on Friday.
A five-year contract with an option for additional 12 months marks a big investment from US businessmen Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly as the club seeks to restore stability following a string of difficult seasons.
Last summer, his predecessor, Pochettino, signed a two-year deal with a third-year option, but lasted just a year in the post. Graham Potter was also given a five-year contract, but he was let go after only seven months last year.
Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, signed an initial 18-month contract in January 2021.
Maresca is anticipated to bring at least six Leicester staff members with him, including former Blues goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who was the Italian’s assistant manager last season.
Coaches Danny Walker and Roberto Vitiello, goalie coach Michele de Bernardin, fitness coach Marcos Alvarez, and first-team analyst Javier Molina Caballero will all join him in west London.
Maresca’s stay at the King Power Stadium was his second stint in first-team management, following a dismal experience with Parma in Serie B. The 44-year-old previously worked at Manchester City, where Pep Guardiola encouraged him to become a ‘amazing manager’ during his time there.
Maresca served as one of Guardiola’s assistant managers from 2022 to 2023, but it was his work with the club’s junior team that earned him the most accolades, with Guardiola comparing him to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
Maresca joined City as manager of their Elite Development Squad in August 2020, and the club’s Under-23 side won the Premier League 2 under his direction that season.
In May 2021, Guardiola stated, “We are thrilled with Enzo Maresca, with the work he has done with the EDS [elite development squad], he shown he will become an exceptional manager in the future.” Extraordinary.
‘I can feel it. As I felt when I met Mikel Arteta, I see it with Enzo; [he] will be an excellent manager who has helped to develop many, many young players.
