Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is expected to be sacked by the club today with his relationship said to have completely broken downplaceholder image
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is expected to be sacked by the club today with his relationship said to have completely broken down | AFP via Getty Images
One Premier League manager looks set to lose his job with widespread reports he will be sacked after a fallout with the club's board
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca looks set to be the first Premier League managerial departure of 2026 as he is claimed to be ‘highly likely’ to leave the club on Thursday as his relationship with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy is completely fractured.
The Blues are among Liverpool’s rivals for a Champions League spot while Everton could rival them for a Europa League place. The Reds have the chance to move five points clear of Chelsea on Thursday night as they host Leeds United at Anfield.
With Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa already well ahead of the chasing pack - Chelsea could be forced into the race for fifth place if Liverpool can pull away. Everton are in the mix as they sit two points behind the Blues with Manchester United level on points with Chelsea.
Sunderland are level on points with Everton but have a game in hand, which they play on Thursday when they host Man City at the Stadium of Light.
But there looks to be a twist in the race for Europe with Maresca on the brink at Chelsea.
That is according to a sensational report from the Guardian, who claim that Maresca is not expected to be in charge of Chelsea when they travel to Man City on Sunday afternoon. Maresca is said to want to leave Chelsea but it is not yet clear if he would walk away and miss out on a pay-off. His contract runs until 2029 and contains the option for an extra year.
Doubts over Maresca’s position started to arise after the club’s win over Everton when the Italian came out afterwards and said he had the “worst 48 hours” since joining the club. That victory over Everton was their only win in their last seven games.
According to the Guardian, Maresca’s comments after the win over Everton left club bosses “baffled” and place a strain on the relationship with the manager.
Chelsea were said to be willing to give Maresca time to turn things around but after he did not attend the post-match press conference following the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, club bosses were said to have taken a dim view of those actions.
The Italian was said to be unwell but Ben Jacobs reported that “Enzo Maresca was not sick post Bournemouth. Understand he chose not to attend the post-match press conference because he is in the middle of making a decision as he considers his options at the club.”
It now appears that Chelsea are ready to make that decision for him with a shock candidate lined up to replace him in the shape of Strasbourg manager, Liam Rosenior, who is described as “one solution” to replace Maresca.
The 41-year-old has impressed at the Ligue 1 club in what is only his second full-time job in management. He was in charge of Hull City between November 2022 and May 2024 but was surprisingly sacked by the Yorkshire club despite being nominated for the EFL Championship Manager of the Season.
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