It was late on Sunday when Kieran McKenna’s phone rang with Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart wanting to let him know the news personally – that he came close but would not become the next head coach of their club.
It was a nice touch, conducted as a courtesy and out of respect for how highly they rated him after leading Ipswich Town from League One to the Premier League and the 38-year-old was gracious upon learning that they would be going with someone else from their shortlist.
The next morning, the true identity of their No 1 target was revealed. Not Roberto De Zerbi. Not Thomas Frank. But Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca, or ‘Diet Pep’ as some supporters have christened the 44-year-old Italian because of his history assisting Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
He is Chelsea’s chosen one, his name landed on after hours upon hours of deliberations inside their blue bunker at the Cobham training ground.
Winstanley and Stewart have led this exhaustive search, each working 17-hour days ever since Mauricio Pochettino departed by mutual agreement on Tuesday last week. They had been wading through the pros and cons of every candidate alongside the club’s analytics department and Behdad Eghbali, the hands-on co-controlling owner who did not want to leave London for Los Angeles until this painstaking process had been seen through.
Chelsea have moved a step closer to appointing Leicester’s Enzo Maresca as their new boss
The Italian has emerged as the top target to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who left last week
Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley (L) and Laurence Stewart (R) have led the search, each said to have been working all hours while wading through the pros and cons of each candidate
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was linked with the role, but was told he would be missing out
The cold realisation of a second successive year without Champions League football led to Chelsea recalibrating their mindset. They conducted this search not only with a return to Europe’s elite competition in mind, but with a plan to be in the best position possible to ensure a long run once they are back where they truly want to be.
With that, Maresca is set to sign a longer contract than the two years originally pledged to Pochettino, with Chelsea now finalising the agreement after asking Leicester for permission to speak with their head coach.
They want stability for their structure, and the selection of Maresca has been endorsed by every executive, from Eghbali to Jose E Feliciano to Todd Boehly, while already there is said to be an excellent rapport between him and Winstanley and Stewart.
Chelsea were struck by Maresca’s comprehensive knowledge of their squad when talks were held via his representatives, as well as his enthusiasm for the vacancy and vision for how he could get their school of starlets performing to their potential with his help.
Chelsea want to win in style and, as is the modern way, that involves controlling possession. Maresca favours a 4-3-3 formation which involves building up play from the back and seen as one of the game’s astute tactical thinkers, he previously wrote a thesis while studying at the legendary Italian coaching centre, Coverciano, entitled ‘Football and Chess’ because he sees so many similarities between the two games of strategy.
You make your move, they counter, you adapt and eventually, it’s checkmate, with Maresca known as someone keen to have a goalkeeper who can act as a playmaker by placing the ball wherever it is needed, much like Ederson at City.
All of this was enough for Chelsea to overlook how Maresca’s CV shows he has never managed at the highest level, having previously coached Parma in Serie B and Leicester in the Championship, where he secured them promotion to the Premier League in his single season in charge. But then Mikel Arteta – another Guardiola discipline – had never managed before taking over at Arsenal and turning them into Premier League title contenders in time.
If finalised as expected, Chelsea will be hiring someone consumed by football. You will not find a picture of Maresca on his WhatsApp. Instead, you will find a screenshot of a quote attributed to Johan Cruyff which reads: ‘When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball three minutes on average. So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball? That is what determines whether you’re a good player or not.’
Maresca (right) is another disciple of Pep Guardiola and worked alongside him at Man City
He helped to transform Leicester and ensured they made an instant return to the top flight
Maresca realises that his ultra-intense management style is not for everyone and the Italian (right) also believes it is important to have a light-hearted rapport with his players
Maresca has switched up that quote, previously using another Cruyff line which read: ‘Teams don’t learn. Individuals within the team learn. Development is a personal process even when conducted in a team environment.’
Chelsea’s players were shocked by the departure of Pochettino, most of them under the impression that he would return for their pre-season tour of the United States in July and August. Maresca will need to get this group on board with his ideas, though there is evidence of him managing that at Leicester in no time.
He walked into the Championship club in June 2023 and overhauled their playing style so quickly that when they faced Coventry in his opening game in the August, they looked like a passable imitation of Guardiola’s City. Six players who had started the summer determined to leave were soon asking if they could stay.
Twelve-hour days beginning at 7am became the norm for Maresca, even though training sessions would last a maximum of one hour, followed by a practice match, sometimes 11-a-side. When a player was left out, he would often have the decision explained in detail – usually with reference to the opposition’s tactical plan – and informed when he was likely to be brought on from the substitutes’ bench.
Maresca realises that his ultra-intense management style is not for everyone and believes it is important to have a light-hearted rapport with his players. It is not enough to simply do the work. His stars should feel they can enjoy it, too. Cruyff, after all, was once quoted as saying: ‘Football is not about suffering. It’s about enjoyment.’
Enjoy it they did at Leicester. Despite a wobble in the second half of their Championship campaign, Maresca delivered the instant return to the Premier League that was demanded, finishing with a final tally of 97 points to secure the title.
Chelsea have looked at how Arteta eventually thrived at Arsenal after leaving Guardiola’s staff and they hope Maresca can flourish in the same way. Based on his ability on the training ground, he will stand every chance. Yet more than managing his players, Maresca’s greatest challenge may be how he manages his own manner. The Stamford Bridge job is perhaps like no other in English football, with the long era of success under Roman Abramovich still influencing expectations.
Speak to anyone about Maresca’s skillset and you will struggle to find a negative response
But his occasionally spiky comments in the media could risk a blow-up with Chelsea’s owners
Ask Maresca about his players and he is impressive. Ask him about his club’s plans, or dare try to question his tactical approach, and he can become surly, dare we say petulant.
Even though Leicester were winning, some supporters started to tire of a formulaic passing game that left little room for individual flair, and after a 3-1 win over Swansea, Maresca said: ‘I came to this club to play with this idea. The moment there is some doubt about the idea, the day after, I will leave.’
Now imagine him declaring that after a Chelsea match and consider the frenzy within traditional and social media that would inevitably follow.
Fortunately for Maresca, he has clever people in his corner, and Chelsea hope this will be an appointment which elevates them to the elite level they desire. Maresca is talented, diligent and having worked with Marcello Lippi, Carlo Ancelotti and Guardiola, he knows what success looks like.