New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca: Who is he, playing career, Leicester triumph and playing style

The 52-year-old Argentinian left after failing to reach agreement over the limit of his responsibility within what is a heavily tiered management structure at Stamford Bridge.

Here, we take a close look at the background of his replacement, and whether the Italian will be a closer fit in west London.

 

Playing career

Chelsea’s new head coach began his professional playing career at West Brom in 1998, playing under the management of Denis Smith and latterly Brian Little.

Arriving speaking little English, he made 47 league appearances for Albion before returning to Italy to play for Juventus, where he never established himself as a first-team regular, instead becoming a journeyman midfielder who would turn out for 10 clubs across three countries over the next 17 years before retiring in 2017.

 

Move into coaching

Following a spell coaching at Serie B side Ascoli, he took over Manchester City’s elite development squad in 2020 where he won the Premier League 2 title the following year, then accepted his first senior management role at Parma whom he failed to guide to promotion to Serie A before being dismissed.

In the summer of 2022 Maresca was brought back to England by Pep Guardiola, who appointed him as his number two when former assistant Juanma Lillo moved to Qatar.

 

Championship success with Leicester

Following the Foxes’ relegation from the Premier League it was announced that Dean Smith, who had taken over following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers and failed to keep the club in the top flight, would not be kept on, and so Maresca was handed his first managerial role in England with the brief of winning immediate promotion.

Despite a wobble on the season run-in, during which the team looked in danger of blowing what had been a 14-point lead in the race to go up, Maresca’s side eventually ensured a top-two finish with two games to spare.

 

What kind of a coach is he?

He is seen by the Chelsea hierarchy as someone who can work within the structure implemented by the club during the last two years, in which the head coach has a limited remit with little say over recruitment or other footballing appointments.

At Leicester he won the Championship title with a heavily possession-based style which is seen as a preferable way of playing given the profile of Chelsea’s playing recruits since Clearlake Capital bought the club.