Chelsea Football Club have fired head coach Enzo Maresca after the team’s form fell apart in a big way, ruining the season for the west London club. The Italian is leaving after only one win in their last seven Premier League games. The poor form has caused the Blues to fall down the table and potentially lose their chance to win the title.
The club said that Maresca would not be in charge of the trip to Manchester City on Sunday. This decision followed escalating tensions between the manager and the senior leadership at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League, a significant drop from where they were expected to be after an impressive start to the season.
The club put out an official statement saying that the two had split up:
“Chelsea Football Club and Head Coach Enzo Maresca have parted company. During his time at the Club, Enzo led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Those achievements will remain an important part of the Club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the Club.”
The statement went on to say:
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions, including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the Club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track. We wish Enzo well for the future.”
In his first full season as manager, Maresca led Chelsea to the Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. The team also finished fourth in the Premier League, which qualified them for this season’s Champions League. But a terrible December has undone a lot of that progress.
The west Londoners lost to Leeds United and Atalanta in the Premier League and Champions League at the beginning of the month. Their most recent league game ended in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. Chelsea also drew twice with Bournemouth and once with Newcastle United in December. These results put even more pressure on the 45-year-old manager.
Maresca raised eyebrows when he said that the 48 hours leading up to Chelsea’s 2-0 league win over Everton in December were the worst of his time as manager since he took over in June 2024. People interpreted those comments as criticism of the club’s owners, which led to a breakdown in relations that could not be repaired.
Chelsea are about to hire a new manager quickly, and Rosenior is one of the top candidates
Liam Rosenior is among the names being discussed as a potential replacement for Maresca at Chelsea. The west London club are determined to move quickly in hiring a new manager, and they expect to make a decision in days, not weeks.
Rosenior, who is currently the head coach of Strasbourg, which are owned by BlueCo, is seen as a natural choice because he speaks English and the two clubs are owned by the same company. In the summer of 2024, the 40-year-old joined the Ligue 1 team as a replacement for Patrick Vieira.
Rosenior has turned Strasbourg into a team capable of competing for UEFA Champions League football, even though they finished 13th last season and were in danger of relegation. The Alsace club are currently second in the UEFA Europa Conference League table, tied on points with leaders Samsunspor. They are also trying to qualify for Europe in the domestic league.