New Year’s celebrations at Chelsea they left half a day late: a press release issued at 12.15pm London time made public the separation “by mutual agreement” of the Blues from Enzo Maresca. An announced farewell, after weeks of tension and a complicated December in terms of results (2 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats), but above all after the statements made by the Italian coach on 13 December in the heat of the moment after the 2-0 win over Everton (“before this match I spent the worst forty-eight hours leading this team”). Words that were addressed to the club’s managers, in particular the co-owner Behdad Eghbali. Maresca, 45, had been in charge since the summer of 2024 and was linked to Chelsea until 2029. In his first season at the helm of the Blues, he brought the team back to Championswon the Conference League and he triumphed at club world cup. Successes that not only enriched the bulletin board, but brought in at least the coffers 150 million of euros. Not only that: Maresca’s work has resulted in the valorisation of a squad – the current estimate, Transfermarkt source, is 1.18 billion euros – which boasts an average age of 23.7 years and has given a major boost to the commercial sector, thanks to the boom in the US market. A source of pride for the stars and stripes ownership of the Blues. Maresca, who left the Wasserman agency and is now managed by Jorge Mendessays goodbye to Chelsea after 92 games: the record is 55 wins, 16 draws and 21 defeats. The success rate is 59.8%, the seventh best among Blues managers in the Premier League.
The relationship with the management began to deteriorate after the summer, but, in reality, Maresca has always had to deal with frequent interference in his work, in particular on player management and on the playing time granted to a consistent squad. The Italian coach has always opposed it, finding support from the players: the first to greet him on social media was the Spaniard cucurella. The injury of Cole Palmerthe best of the group – the value of his price tag is 120 million euros – has further complicated the scenario. Decisive in the American World Cup, Palmer has so far played just 459 minutes, for a total of 8 appearances. Chelsea’s statement is a masterpiece of diplomacy: “With key objectives still to be achieved in four competitions, including qualification for the Champions League, Enzo and the club believe that a change to the team represents the best chance of getting the season back on track.” All this on the eve of the January 4th away match at home Manchester Citya club indicated in English rumors as Maresca’s next destination after the farewell of Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea will be led at the Etihad by an interim manager: it could be the former Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero. In the list of names of Maresca’s possible heir, that of. stands out Francesco Farioliabsolute dominator of the scene in Portugal: Porto leads the championship with 46 points – 15 wins and 1 draw – and is a protagonist in the national and international cups. It was the Telegraph that suggested Farioli’s name: this newspaper has always had a privileged relationship with the Blues management. To snatch Farioli from the Dragons, however, you have to pay a release clause of 15 million and another aspect should not be underestimated: leaving a well-established program like Porto’s, to embark on an adventure in which it is already clear that we will have to deal with cumbersome management, appears to be a risk. The other coaches on the track are Liam Rosenior (Strasbourg), Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth) e Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace). The chosen one will have the satisfaction of leading a prestigious club, but also moody and intrusive. Maresca was also reproached for participating in the Trento Festival Gazzetta dello Sportin which he gave an interview: he would have done his own thing, writes the company website BBCwithout asking permission from the club.
