Chelsea have issued a statement slamming former boss Enzo Maresca just minutes after he was announced as the new manager at Premier League rivals Manchester City.
In one of the worst-kept secrets in football, the Italian was finally confirmed as the new City boss on Monday, almost seven months to the day after Maresca surprisingly decided to walk away from Stamford Bridge.
It had been widely reported that the reason for the 46-year-old’s exit was that he had fallen out with Chelsea’s ownership BlueCo over the prospect of him returning to The Etihad to replace his former mentor Guardiola.
That speculation had never actually been confirmed until now, with Chelsea releasing a lengthy club statement accusing Maresca of disloyalty after he penned a three-year deal with Man City.
The statement read: “Chelsea FC appreciates the 2025/26 season was a hugely disappointing one for the Club and its supporters.
“A major contributing factor was the disruption caused as a result of changes that the Club was forced to make to the Head Coach position over the Christmas period.
“Due to recent developments, we consider that it is important to explain to our supporters what happened and why our former Head Coach left the Club on 1 January 2026.
“In Autumn last year, the Club was informed by our former Head Coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.
“It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate.
“In December 2025, our Head Coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.
“No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the Club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters, and the Badge and accept his resignation.”
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Chelsea moved swiftly to appoint Liam Rosenior from fellow Todd Boehly-owned club Strasbourg, although that particular experiment turned into a complete disaster after the former Hull City coach was sacked after just 106 days in charge.
A 10th-placed finish followed, with former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso now at the helm and set to go head-to-head with City chief Maresca when the two teams meet for the first time this season on December 12.
While City have reportedly paid a compensation package of £17million to Chelsea for Maresca, that’s a separate package to the one the Blues say they have agreed with Maresca.
“In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation,” Chelsea’s statement added.
“A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former Head Coach under which he will pay compensation.
“Looking forward to next season, in Xabi Alonso, we have a Manager who has an exceptional football mind and is a professional of the highest integrity. He has all the attributes to deliver the success the Club’s supporters deserve and expect.’
Maresca spent a total of 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge, winning the Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League in 2025.