Enzo Maresca Departs Chelsea After Only 18 Months as Head Coach
Enzo Maresca has departed from his position as Chelsea's head coach after only 18 months, the Premier League outfit confirmed.
The Italian's departure from Stamford Bridge happens as the team occupies fifth place in the Premier League standings, trailing Arsenal by 15 points, with just one victory in their most recent seven league outings.
"Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted ways," the club statement declared.
Rumours surrounding Maresca's future grew amid Chelsea's slump in form lately, coupled with suggestions of a strained bond between the manager and the club's upper echelons.
"With vital targets remaining in four tournaments, such as earning a Champions League berth, Enzo and the club feel that a shift provides the squad the optimal shot at rescuing the campaign," Chelsea further noted.
Maresca missed the post-game media session after a hectic 2-2 stalemate with Bournemouth on Tuesday, yet his no-show was blamed on feeling unwell.
That result left Chelsea having surrendered 13 points at home while ahead this term, forming the majority of the 15-point chasm separating the Blues from Arsenal.
The call to replace Cole Palmer shortly past the hour in the Bournemouth clash earned jeers from the Chelsea crowd.
Maresca remains firm on his words from December 13, post a home league triumph over Everton, where he noted that numerous folks at Chelsea "did not support me and the team".
He steadfastly avoided explaining those remarks, while stressing they targeted neither the club's followers.
The 45-year-old described the buildup to the 2-0 Everton success as "the toughest 48 hours" in his Chelsea tenure.
Maresca's standing at Chelsea peaked following the Blues' 3-0 Champions League thrashing of Barcelona in November.
Man City talks
Yet heavy setbacks against Leeds, Atalanta, and Villa ramped up the heat on the Chelsea chief.
Maresca was also tipped as a likely heir to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, should the Catalan wrap up his ten-year reign at the Etihad by season close.
Accounts suggest Maresca alerted Chelsea on two occasions about discussions with City, his prior workplace as one of Guardiola's deputies, per his deal's mandate to disclose rival club chats.
Chelsea hold 13th spot in the Champions League rankings and seem poised to skip straight entry to the round of 16 through a top-eight outcome.
Still, they advanced to the League Cup semi-finals, drawn against Arsenal across two matches.
Maresca's agreement was slated to last until summer 2029, featuring a club choice for one more year.
Chelsea captured the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025, plus Maresca steered them to Champions League return through a fourth-place Premier League end in his lone complete year at the helm.
"Thank you for everything, mister, and to your staff. For the work and the trust from day one, and for the memories," Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella wrote on social platforms, pairing it with images of the Spaniard alongside Maresca.
The Blues resume play Sunday away to Manchester City, starting nine engagements over four events in a crammed January calendar.
Liam Rosenior, Strasbourg's manager in France and under Chelsea's holding firm BlueCo, a group led by American magnate Todd Boehly, emerges as a prospect to step in for Maresca, despite the 41-year-old's absence of Premier League managerial know-how.
Ex-Barcelona boss Xavi, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Fulham chief Marco Silva, and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola rank among further possibles for the role.