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Chelsea agreed to pay Leicester City around €10 million to hire Enzo Maresca as their new head coach, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
Maresca will reportedly sign a five-year contract with Chelsea.
Maresca, 44, won the opportunity to replace Mauricio Pochettino out of a list of candidates reportedly including Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, and former Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi.
He’s now set to become Chelsea’s fourth coach since Todd Boehy’s U.S. consortium purchased the club in May 2022. Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Pochettino all came before Maresca. None lasted more than a year under Boehly’s watch.
The Italian stood out from the pack after leading Leicester to first place in the Championship and Premier League promotion. The Foxes were only relegated a season ago.
Maresca paid his dues under Pep Guardiola, serving on the Spaniard’s coaching staff during Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign. Before that, the former Juventus midfielder led City’s Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title.
Maresca also coached Parma in Italy’s Serie B but was fired after just 14 matches.
It was at Leicester that he truly emerged as a viable head coach. Maresca favored a 4-3-3 formation at the King Power Stadium and pushed progressive tactics without sacrificing too much defensively. His team’s 89 goals were second only to Leeds United and its 41 goals conceded were the fewest in the Championship.
