Leicester give Chelsea permission to pursue manager Maresca

May 27, (THEWILL) – Leicester City have given Chelsea official permission to engage in talks with their manager Enzo Maresca over the vacant head coaching role at Stamford Bridge. The move comes after Chelsea identified the Italian as the leading candidate to succeed Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea made a formal approach to Leicester on Monday and are now ready to hold talks with the 44-year-old manager. Discussions are expected to result in a contract for a minimum five-year period. Leicester will receive compensation for the impending move, which is expected to be completed this week.

Maresca joined Leicester ahead of the 2023/24 season and promptly guided them to the Championship title, securing a return to the English Premier League at the first attempt. Other candidates being considered for the Chelsea job included Kieran McKenna, who led Ipswich Town to promotion, and Thomas Frank, whose work at Brentford has drawn admiration.

Chelsea have begun their search for a new head coach after the club and Pochettino mutually agreed to part ways last week following a review of the team’s performance. The process of identifying Pochettino’s replacement was led by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, eventually opting for former Manchester City assistant Maresca as their preferred option.

Maresca’s credentials include working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he was part of the backroom staff during the team’s treble-winning season in 2022/23. He also worked alongside Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham United in 2018 and had a brief spell with Parma in Italy’s second tier at the start of the 2021/22 season. If the move goes through, Maresca will become the sixth manager since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in 2022.