Chelsea Enzo Maresca ‘probable’ claim made on Mauricio Pochettino’s exit

Enzo Maresca has been named on the shortlist to take over as Chelsea manager following Mauricio Pochettino’s shock exit on Tuesday night.

English football was rocked by the news of the Argentinian’s departure after just one season in charge. It looked like the Blues’ American ownership – who splashed out over £1billion on players from 2022 – had finally grasped the concept of giving someone time to develop a young and progressive squad, although clearly they haven’t.

Pochettino salvaged European qualification at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, however, sixth place and the way his side performed led the bosses to seek a mutual agreement to part ways.

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Now reports have begun to explain what exactly the London club are hoping to find in a new manager. Those traits are “young” and “progressive”, according to The Telegraph, who then claim Foxes boss Maresca, 44, is “likely” to be considered.

The Italian displayed his credentials during a first full year in charge of English football, . He even made himself known to these potential employers when his side visited Chelsea in last season’s FA Cup quarter-finals.

Overall, Maresca – a pupil of Pep Guardiola – had his side with an average of 62 per cent possession in 53 games in all competitions, scoring 89 goals from a shot conversion rate of 16 per cent. These are all elements the west London chiefs were deemed to be underwhelmed by as they carried out an end-of-season review as Chelsea converted just 10 per cent of their season’s chances while averaging possession of 58.6 percent.

Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Girona boss Michel are also mentioned alongside the City manager.

The report explains that Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will lead the process of appointing Pochettino’s successor and report their findings to co-owners Behdad Eghbali, Todd Boehly and Jose E Feliciano. The available playing staff are due to report from the summer break on July 4, giving an idea of ​​the time frame they have to work with.

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