Enzo Maresca: Chelsea set to appoint Leicester boss as new manager; contract length revealed

Chelsea are on the verge of appointing Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca as their new manager, according to respected journalist David Ornstein.

The London club have held talks with a number of different candidates in recent days and Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have made their choice.

Chelsea were keen on Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna but he is set to remain at Portman Road after the club offered him a new contract.

Thomas Frank was also ‘considered,’ while Roberto de Zerbi has also been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge but Boehly and Co have opted to appoint Maresca instead.

The 44-year-old began his career as a coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he guided the under-21 side to the title in Premier League 2.

He joined Parma in 2021 – where he was sacked after only six months after failing to guide them to promotion in Serie B.

Maresca has been a big success at Leicester, though, leading them to the Championship title and immediate promotion back into the Premier League.

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Chelsea to appoint Enzo Maresca as new manager

TEAMtalk sources say that the fact that Maresca learnt his trade under Guardiola was a major factor in convincing Chelsea to bring him in.

They hope that he can replicate the success that another former Guardiola understudy, Mikel Arteta, has enjoyed at Arsenal.

According to Ornstein, the Blues made an official approach to Leicester on Monday after identifying the Italian as their top managerial candidate.

Chelsea are now set for ‘discussions’ with Maresca and are ‘expected to agree’ a contract spanning a ‘minimum of five years.’

Leicester will receive compensation for the appointment, which is ‘expected to be completed in the next week.’

There will be big pressure on Maresca to achieve success at Chelsea, with an important summer transfer window on the horizon for the club.

A number of players will depart Stamford Bridge as they aim to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.

This will likely mean several stars are sold as they represent ‘pure profit’ on the account books.

The Chelsea board are willing to part ways with Tottenham target Conor Gallagher, for example, while Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and Ian Maatsen are expected to leave on permanent deals.

Maresca will be charged with bringing in new players to replace them and to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

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