Chelsea appoint Italian Maresca as new head coach

Chelsea have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach on a five-year contract, the English Premier League club announced on Monday.

The Italian will leave Leicester City, where he led the club back to the Premier League in his first season, and begin his new role on July 1, according to a statement from Chelsea.

"He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style," said Chelsea's sporting co-directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

"His ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club."

Leicester were disappointed to see Maresca depart.

"With Enzo’s decision made and the board’s terms for his departure met, we wish him well in his future endeavours," they said in a statement.

"He leaves with the appreciation of everyone at the Club for his work in helping us to achieve an immediate return to the Premier League."

The 44-year-old succeeds Mauricio Pochettino, who left the club last month after a single season.

Under Argentine Pochettino, the west London club rallied late in the season to finish sixth and secure European football, a significant improvement from their 12th-place finish in the 2022-23 season.

Maresca will be tasked with returning Chelsea to the Champions League, where they won for the second time in 2021.

The 44-year-old previously coached Manchester City's youth team and served as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola during the club's treble-winning season.

His first managerial job came with Italian club Parma in 2021, where he lasted 14 games and won only four.

Maresca was appointed manager of Leicester at the start of the 2023-24 Championship season, which they began in scintillating fashion, securing an eight-point lead at the top of the second tier by the end of 2023.

Leicester struggled at times in the second half of the season and were plagued by off-field issues, but Maresca led them back to the Premier League, securing automatic promotion and finishing first in the standings.

In the Championship, Maresca's Foxes used a possession-based approach, with the team building from the back.

Maresca used Ricardo Pereira as an inverted full back at Leicester, a system that Pochettino used to great effect in Chelsea's final few games of the season.

SportsLigue