Enzo Maresca, the manager of Leicester City, is the ‘top candidate’ to take over at Chelsea following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino.
Even though the Londoners had a solid finish to the season, finishing sixth in the Premier League and ensuring European football, there were questions over Pochettino’s future.
On Tuesday evening, it was confirmed that the former Spurs manager had resigned by mutual consent.
Enzo Maresca is the frontrunner for the Chelsea position.
Since then, a number of names have been connected to the position, with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna also said to be in the running with Maresca.
The 44-year-old was only chosen Leicester manager last year, but he had a spectacular debut season as an English football head coach, leading the Foxes to the championship title.
While they struggled at times in the final stretch, the Midlands team finished the season in first place, scoring 97 points. Furthermore, Maresca received a lot of praise for how his Leicester team played, with a focus on keeping the ball and building from the back.
Championship standings: 2023/24
Team
P
GD
Pts
1
Leicester City (C
46
48
97
2
Ipswich Town (P
46
35
96
3
Leeds United
46
38
90
4
Southampton
46
24
87
5
West Brom
46
23
75
6
Norwich City
46
15
73
Leicester City will be keen in keeping Enzo Maresca.
Following that, Maresca was given a lot of leeway at Leicester, where he selected players to play his specific style of play, which worked.
However, if he leaves, the board will have to look for a coach with a similar mindset to the group.
There was a lot of anticipation and excitement about how the season ended, and Maresca will be crucial to the plans being put in place ahead of Leicester’s return to the Premier League.
So losing him would be a huge setback, but you can see why the Italian would be willing to leave if Chelsea formalised their interest with an offer to take over.
They are a team that competes near the top of the standings, play European football, and have a squad full of quality young players who Maresca will undoubtedly believe he can develop and better.
Leicester City’s Summer Plans
The Foxes hierarchy will not want this to linger on, as it only generates uncertainty and puts them in a tough position.
We know they have a lot of off-field concerns, and there’s a good chance they’ll get a points deduction because of their PSR problems in recent years.
That will also limit their market options, so they need everyone to be on the same page as they strive to create a Premier League squad with the resources they have.
So it will be interesting to watch how this plays out, but it will be a source of concern for everyone at the King Power Stadium, and it will impact the vibe heading into the next season if Maresca leaves.
