Italian coach emerges as top candidate to lead Chelsea

Following Mauricio Pochettino’s resignation, Chelsea are presently in the process of finding a new manager.

Enzo Maresca, the manager of Leicester City, has emerged as a formidable rival for this highly sought-after position.

Speculation has circulated that Maresca will join Chelsea this summer, with renowned transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano claiming that he is “super keen” on the idea.

Quite a few names have emerged in the course of Chelsea’s hunt for Pochettino’s successor. Besides Maresca, Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town and Thomas Frank of Brentford have also been named as possible contenders.

The club’s owners, Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly are notoriously relentless in their quest for glory. Thus, they will surely not be stopping until they find the Blues the perfect match.

What did Fabrizio Romano say about Maresca?

Romano shed light on the continuing talks at Chelsea with his Substack update. “I can confirm that Maresca is super open and super keen on joining Chelsea, so it’s a concrete possibility,” said he.

“Maresca said no to Sevilla, he wants to work in the Premier League, at Leicester or any other club, he wants to stay in England and he has a release clause around €10m. It’s really open, and I understand why Chelsea are taking their time to pick the best option possible.”

But he did say that the Leicester man isn’t the only one being explored; the English side are evaluating other names as well. “He’s not the only target, Hoeness doesn’t want to leave Stuttgart, Michel is also very happy at Girona, but Thomas Frank remains there, McKenna remains there.

“It’s true that there is also another candidate in Chelsea’s list but there’s no clarity on who that is yet, so they are still discussing all the possibilities.”

Then, in a further report on X, Romano confirmed this. He added that, in spite of Sevilla’s rejected advances, the Italian boss still prefers the Premier League. Following discussions in recent days, he is now waiting for Chelsea to make a decision.

In addition, the 44-year-old’s release clause is about $11 million after achieving Premier League promotion. Furthermore, Leicester City are also anticipating to see what will happen.

Why Chelsea want Maresca and what would he offer?

It seems like Chelsea are giving serious consideration to all of their options before settling on a course of action. Some experts have spoken out against certain selections, despite the many names under question.

TalkSPORT pundits Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein have advised Chelsea against appointing Kieran McKenna, citing his lack of experience at the highest level. Bent emphasized that moving from Ipswich Town to Chelsea would be a significant leap. Meanwhile, Goldstein pointed out the challenges of managing big personalities at such club.

Eventually, the Stamford Bridge giants may benefit from Maresca’s unique playing style and tactical approach. His leadership skills have been on display at Leicester City. What’s more, his knowledge of Guardiola’s techniques might help the Blues replicate Manchester City’s dominance.

The ex-Parma boss seems like a good fit for their s search for a manager capable of introducing an offensive, possession-based style of play. Even more convincing is his desire to join Chelsea and remain in the Premier League.

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