Enzo Maresca departs from Chelsea following discussions regarding a move to Manchester City

01 January 2026 , 18:15

1518 0

Enzo Maresca’s unexpected departure from Chelsea happened after he informed the club that he had been in contact with individuals associated with Manchester City about potentially replacing Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea has been dealing with uncertainty ever since the issues in Maresca’s relationship with the board surfaced last month. However, there is a sense at Stamford Bridge that the Italian was attempting to orchestrate an exit before the official announcement was made on Thursday morning.

There was significant dissatisfaction with Maresca’s decisions during matches, but his behavior off the pitch was the more significant issue. The situation has been unstable since he made cryptic comments about going through his “worst 48 hours” at the club following the win over Everton on December 13. While those remarks were initially mysterious, it is now understood that Maresca informed his superiors—twice in late October and again after the Everton game—that he had discussed the possibility of succeeding Guardiola if the Spaniard were to leave City at the end of the season. Maresca served as Guardiola’s assistant at Etihad Stadium during the 2022-23 season.

It is believed that Maresca, who had been in charge for 18 months, bid farewell to staff and players on Thursday morning. Chelsea, currently fifth in the Premier League after one win in seven games, is set to face City on Sunday. Liam Rosenior, the manager of Strasbourg, is a leading candidate to replace Maresca. Strasbourg is a partner club to Chelsea.

“Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted company,” reads a statement. “During his tenure at the club, Enzo led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. These accomplishments will remain a significant part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.

“With key objectives still to pursue across four competitions, including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change offers the team the best opportunity to get the season back on track. We wish Enzo well for the future.”

Maresca’s departure comes after a few uncertain weeks, with him being booed by the home crowd after the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. The club was also perplexed by his claim that “many people” hadn’t supported him before the Everton game. These remarks are seen as the first of several self-inflicted wounds and reveal Maresca’s dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the Chelsea project.

Maresca did himself no favors by refusing to explain the reason behind his discontent. However, sources with knowledge of the situation indicate that the dispute revolved around his pressing the club to allow him more freedom to disregard the medical department’s guidance on player protection. Chelsea has been preventing injuries by enforcing a strict rotation policy, and the sporting leadership team informed the head coach that he could not overrule the medical department on return-to-play protocols. The goal is to protect players like Reece James, Pedro Neto, and Wesley Fofana, all of whom have had previous injury struggles. Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s top player, has been dealing with a persistent groin injury this season and is currently unable to play three full games a week.

Maresca’s mood wasn’t helped by external criticism when rotation led to disappointing results. He heavily rotated during the unexpected defeat to Leeds earlier in the month and made substitutions with load management in mind when Chelsea lost to Atalanta in the Champions League a week later. The defeat to Atalanta occurred four days before Maresca’s “worst 48 hours” statement.

However, Chelsea feels there have been times when Maresca ignored the data provided by the medical department. It wasn’t received well when James, who has a long history of knee and hamstring problems, played three full games in one week last month. The captain hadn’t managed that since 2023.

Chelsea was equally unimpressed when Maresca was rumored to be a potential replacement for Guardiola. There have also been links with Juventus. It has been suggested that Maresca sought more control, but Chelsea is not willing to alter a structure in which they have built an extensive recruitment team focused on acquiring some of the best young talent in the game. Maresca’s request for a new center-back after losing Levi Colwill to injury before the season started went unanswered.

There is a belief that Maresca’s behavior has impacted the team’s performance. Chelsea has lost 15 points from winning positions in the league this season, 13 of them at home. Further tension arose when Maresca claimed to feel too unwell to hold his press conference after the Bournemouth game. Club insiders were astonished when Maresca’s assistant, Willy Caballero, addressed the media. Caballero said the manager had been under the weather for two days, but there were allegations on Wednesday night that Maresca had actually expressed that he didn’t want to perform his usual press duties. It is said that he was contemplating his options after becoming dissatisfied with elements of the Chelsea project.

Chelsea’s preference had been to evaluate Maresca’s position at the end of the season. Their patience ran out on Wednesday night, though, and they are searching for their fifth permanent head coach since being purchased by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May 2022.

A few candidates are in consideration, including Porto manager Francesco Farioli, with Chelsea hoping to make an appointment in the coming days. However, they may need an interim to take charge at the Etihad Stadium. A move for Rosenior will also depend on Strasbourg’s ability to find a suitable replacement for the 41-year-old. Eric Ramsay, the manager of Minnesota United, is also being considered.