CHELSEA CONFIRM ENZO MARESCA’S APPOINTMENT AS HEAD COACH
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Chelsea have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach.
The 44-year-old, who succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge, moves from Leicester after leading them back to the Premier League by winning the Championship.
Maresca has signed a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge and was Chelsea’s No 1 choice from a shortlist including Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Roberto De Zerbi, who left Brighton at the end of the season.
Chelsea are understood to have paid between £8m and £10m to release Maresca from his Leicester contract.
The Italian has brought six members of his backroom staff with him from the King Power Stadium, including Willy Caballero, the former Chelsea goalkeeper.
The process to appoint Maresca was led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, who held face-to-face talks with the head coach in Marbella last week.
Chelsea were impressed by the depth of Maresca’s knowledge about their squad in talks with his representatives, as well as his focus on the way Chelsea want to play and his desire for the job.
Maresca’s obsession with possession and positional play made him the leading candidate to replace Pochettino, who left by mutual consent just two days after guiding Chelsea to a sixth-place Premier League finish.
The length of Maresca’s contract reflects that Chelsea are focused on bringing long-term success back to the club, with senior figures at the club believing he will be the final piece of the jigsaw to fit into the new, modern structure they have built.
Chelsea expect to be busy in the transfer market this summer, with players coming and going. Trading is likely to see the signing of a new No 9 and centre-back, while the futures of high-earners such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga need to be resolved.
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