Chelsea manager leaves Premier League club

Manager Enzo Maresca has left Chelsea after a tumultuous end to his 19 months in charge of the Premier League club.

Italian Maresca was booed by fans during Tuesday’s 2-2 home draw with 15th-placed Bournemouth, which extended the Blues’ poor league run to one win in nine matches and left them 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.

“With key objectives still to be achieved in four competitions, including qualification for the Champions League, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track,” Chelsea said.

In cryptic remarks after Chelsea’s 2-0 home win over Everton on December 13, Maresca said the previous 48 hours had been “the most difficult” since he joined the club “because so many people weren’t supporting me and the team”.

The 45-year-old said his comments were not about fans, but declined to elaborate or clarify the subject of his discontent.

Enzo Maresca: Why did the manager leave Chelsea?

Maresca experienced a “complete breakdown in his relationship” with Chelsea, whose “patience was tested” by his tactical decisions and behavior off the field, according to the Tutor.

Assistant coach Willy Caballero said Maresca had been ill for two days when the Argentine took up media duties after the draw against Cherriesbut the report cites claims that Maresca chose not to appear because he was “considering his options after becoming dissatisfied with elements of the Chelsea project”, adding that his absence had created “additional tensions”.

Chelsea reportedly considered sacking Maresca in January if their poor form continued. They are top seed for the Champions League knockout stage play-offs after taking 10 points from the opening six games of their European campaign, two points behind the automatic last 16 places and four ahead of the playoff positions.

Next Chelsea coach: Liam Rosenior among the candidates

Liam Rosenior, who played most of his games as a Premier League full-back for Chelsea’s neighbors Fulham, is the hot favorite to succeed Maresca.

The 41-year-old has impressed since joining partner club Strasbourg in July 2024, narrowly missing out on Champions League or Europa League qualification in his first season, with the Blue and White finishing seventh and entering the Conference League.

Strasbourg are in the same position this season having won seven, lost seven and drawn two of their opening 16 league matches, as well as qualifying for the Conference League round of 16 at the top of the table by two points, winning five times and losing once in Europe.

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea record

A midfielder for clubs such as West Bromwich Albion, Juventus, Fiorentina, Sevilla and Olympiacos during a senior playing career from 1998 to 2017, Maresca began his coaching career with a brief spell at Italian club Parma in 2021 and became one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants at Manchester City in June 2022.

A spell at Championship side Leicester City as manager followed in June 2023, winning the second-tier title and promotion to the top flight.

In Maresca’s only full season, Chelsea secured fourth place on the final day of their league campaign to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2021/22 season and won the Conference League.

They won the Club World Cup in New Jersey in July 2025, beating Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final.

Will Enzo Maresca become Man City manager?

Following his departure from Chelsea, Maresca was the joint favorite with Cityzens legend and Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany to succeed Pep Guardiola at City.

Among a multitude of trophies, Guardiola has won the Premier League and the 2022/23 Champions League six times since his arrival in 2016.

City’s dominance has waned since the start of the 2024/25 season, during which terrible form prevented them from defending their title and made it difficult to qualify for the Champions League.

The Spaniard often looked beleaguered as City failed to win a trophy. They were five points behind the Gunners in second with a game in hand at the time of Chelsea’s announcement.