Enzo Maresca decided to resign and left Chelsea because he felt he could not sustain his position, but it has now emerged that his mysterious criticism earlier this month was directed at Chelsea’s medical team.
Maresca left on New Year’s Day after his relationship with the club fell apart and the club’s disastrous results left them 15 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior is considered the likely candidate to replace Maresca.
Chelsea are unlikely to target Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi, with Rosenior currently considered the frontrunner.
Maresca will leave after a rift in his relationship with the club and a disappointing run of just one win in their last seven Premier League games, leaving them 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.
It is understood that Maresca resigned because he felt he could not maintain his position, but Chelsea were already considering sacking him due to poor results, comments he made in the media, disagreements with the medical team and reports about his relationship with other clubs.
The mystery behind the “worst 48 hours” comment has been solved
After a 2-0 home win against Everton in mid-December, Maresca surprised reporters by saying he had endured “the worst 48 hours” at the club and that “not many people supported us”.
The head coach subsequently declined several opportunities to further elaborate on his comments.
But the mystery of who Maresca was talking about was solved. The Italian had several disagreements with Chelsea’s medical department during his time at the club over player fitness and availability, including the playing time of captain Reece James, who has a history of hamstring injuries.
Disagreements over medical advice
Chelsea are thought to believe Maresca went against the advice of his medical team on a number of occasions.
It is believed that players returning from injury were forced to play longer than advised, leading to recurrence of the injury.
The club felt that these were merely disagreements over detailed recommendations from the club’s medical and performance departments regarding the player’s workload, and that no one was interfering with the head coach’s decisions regarding football.
The club also believes Maresca’s decision to speak to City about a possible replacement should Josep Guardiola leave the Etihad Stadium and return to his former club Juventus was disrespectful.
At the same time, Maresca and his agent are believed to have informed Chelsea that he has no intention of leaving the club and that they intend to discuss the possibility of renewing his contract.
Maresca already had a long-term contract until 2030, which was only signed in the summer of 2024, so Chelsea were reluctant to sign him to a new contract in order to break off negotiations with other clubs.
Maresca’s final game in charge was Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, during which he was replaced by Palmer, prompting boos from the home crowd and chants of “I don’t know what I’m doing”.
After the game, Maresca did not perform postgame media duties and his assistant Willie Caballero stated that he was not feeling well.
However, Sky Sports Football understands that Maresca was not unwell.
Rosenior is the leading candidate to replace Maresca
Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is the frontrunner to become Chelsea’s head coach following the departure of Enzo Maresca after 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are unlikely to target Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi, with Rosenior currently considered the frontrunner.
Maresca felt unable to hold his position.
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Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekor reports on the latest updates on Chelsea following Enzo Maresca’s departure
Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
“The latest information I have is that Enzo Maresca feels he cannot maintain his position and has decided to resign. It doesn’t normally happen for Premier League managers to leave their clubs.
“But I believe it’s not that clear-cut. Chelsea were considering a change. There were problems with his grades and comments in the media, and also the fact that he was involved with other jobs.”
“There are key figures at Chelsea who have been impressed by the job Liam Rosenior has done at Strasbourg. His style of football is the same as the way Chelsea play. The only problem is that he has a job at the moment and a big game against Nice at the weekend.”
“He is the frontrunner. Other names that I have heard are unlikely but include Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola and Roberto De Zerbi.
“Chelsea’s shortlist is small, less than a few people. They are vetting the candidates and have contingency plans in place.
“The next appointment will be the permanent head coach and he will have to adapt to exactly the same structure that Maresca was working in.
“But I don’t think I’ll be able to get booked in time for Sunday’s game against Manchester City.”
Chelsea January fixtures
Maresca’s successor will inherit a team that will compete on four fronts.
Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League and on track to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, with a draw in the third round of the FA Cup at Charlton this month and a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal. It will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Sunday 4th January: Man City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 7th January: Fulham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm (live on Sky Sports) Saturday 10th January: Charlton (A) – FA Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 14th January: Arsenal (H) – Carabao Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports) Saturday 17 January: Brentford (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm Wednesday 21 January: Paphos (H) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm Sunday 25 January: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 28 January: Napoli (A) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm Saturday 31 January: West Ham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
