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The start of the new year has been eventful for Chelsea. After torrid form in December, Blues owners decided to sack their manager Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day.
It was certainly a quick decision, and despite the rumors, it seemed like there was a chance he would stay at the club.
But that was not to be, with the Italian dismissed after winning two trophies in 2025, including the Club World Cup.
With Under-21s manager Calum McFarlane set to take charge of the West Londoners against Manchester City this weekend, the search for a new manager is now on.
Well, rumors are already starting to heat up about who it could be.
Chelsea candidates to replace Maresca
It seems that there is a name keeps coming up regarding replacing Maresca in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. That man is Liam Rosenior, who manages Chelsea’s sister club RC Strasbourg.
However, if Rosenior’s move does not go through, club owners BlueCo could well cast their net further in their search for a new boss. According to BBC Sportone of the names in the running is Porto manager Francesco Farioli.
The Italian, who is just 36 years old, has “been mooted as a potential contender”, according to BBC journalists Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella.
He still has 18 months left on his contract, so it seems likely that Chelsea will have to pay compensation to bring him to west London.
Why Farioli would be an upgrade over Rosenior
Although Farioli has only been at Porto since July 2025, he has already made a fantastic start to life in Portugal. This comes after building a good reputation in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice, who he managed for one season in 2023/24, before joining Ajax for 2024/25.
Indeed, Farioli’s debut at the helm of the Portuguese giants was impressive. In 26 matches in all competitions, the Italian, most often deploying a 4-3-3 formation, led his team to 22 victories.
His team dominated the matches, scoring 56 times and conceding only 13.
|
Farioli’s Porto record (all competitions) |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistical |
Number |
|
Desired training |
4-3-3 |
|
Matches |
26 |
|
Victories |
22 |
|
Prints |
2 |
|
Losses |
2 |
|
Objectives for |
56 |
|
Goals against |
13 |
|
Points per game (league only) |
2.88 |
|
Statistics of Transfer market |
|
You can certainly make comparisons between Farioli during his time at Ajax and Maresca at Chelsea. Eif Soccer’s Marc Geschwind said the situations at each club were “so similar”, with both having to work with “incompetent management” in their previous roles.
Indeed, things were sometimes difficult for Maresca during his time at Bridge. There has been a “lack of protection and interference leading to critical ownership issues,” which Farioli may face.
His time at Ajax – which ended in a lack of Eredivisie title – could be very useful to him, in this sense.
Rosenior, meanwhile, has performed well at Strasbourg in the 18 months he has been in charge of the club.
Last season he guided Le Racing to seventh place in Ligue 1, steering them towards the Conference League and playing some excellent football along the way.
His overall record for the club is certainly impressive. In 62 games with the club so far, he has won 32 and lost just 16 times.
The London-born manager has certainly done well in Ligue 1, and it would be a simple deal for the Blues to complete, with Strasbourg being a BlueCo club.
However, it is perhaps less risky to nominate Farioli. Not only was he successful in Ligue 1, leaving him with similar experience to Rosenior, but the Italian’s work with Porto showed he could dominate a league at the highest level.
This is of course Chelsea’s ultimate goal. They want to be a possession-rich, fluid team that can keep things tight in defense. In a few months in Portugal, Farioli showed that he was capable of it.
Rosenior could be the safe option. Yet perhaps the Porto boss, more used to working under a stricter regime, has more evolving football for a top team, which is what Chelsea hope to be.
