ENZO MARESCA has gone from forgotten Football League youngster to working under Pep Guardiola and now Chelsea’s top managerial target.
The Blues have asked Leicester for permission to speak to their Championship-winning boss as they look for Mauricio Pochettino’s successor.
It could bring Chelsea’s search for a new manager to a close with Maresca the latest in the ever-changing Stamford Bridge hotseat.
But who is the 44-year-old Italian?
Well, Maresca actually started his professional playing career at 18 with West Brom after coming through Cagliari’s youth system.
That was despite not speaking any English when he first arrived in the West Midlands.
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In an interview with Manchester City, Maresca recalled: “When you move from, in my case Italy to England directly to Birmingham, you can adapt immediately to the language and to the country.
“My English was not so good and also I learned a lot when I was there, though I struggled a bit at the beginning but after it worked quite well.”
Maresca had two seasons with the Baggies before moving to Juventus in 2000 for what was a West Brom record £4.5million deal.
He played under two of football’s managerial greats in Turin, in Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi.
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Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
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Maresca told SunSport in September: “Ancelotti was just starting his career as a manager but you could see clearly how he wanted to coach.
“He was so straight, honest and humble — and unbelievable in terms of relations with his players.
“Lippi was much stronger but fantastic in terms of motivation.”
Maresca bounced around Europe playing for Bologna, Piacenza, Fiorentina, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Málaga, Sampdoria and Palermo.
He then ended his playing career in 2017 with Hellas Verona in Italy’s second division.
Maresca had three years away before returning to football with City’s Elite Development Squad, winning the Premier League 2 in 2021.
He also coached current Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia during his time at the Etihad.
The tactician had a short spell in charge of Parma before going back to City in 2022 as Guardiola’s assistant.
It gave Maresca the chance to learn from the Spanish legend up close and personal, as Mikel Arteta once did before taking the Arsenal job.
So before long it was Maresca’s turn to take the leap of faith when Leicester – who had just been relegated from the Premier League – came knocking.
He said at the time: “Coming to Leicester was an easy decision because our ideas are perfectly aligned.
“They wanted to change the way they play and refresh things. And the most important thing is that they’re patient.
“The club knows sometimes it’s not so quick to change things, they’re aware of that.
“When the club is aware and patient, the only target is to realise what you want to realise.
“The problem is when people start to get nervous, this can be a big problem.”
City recruited assistant managers Carlos Vicens and Juanma Lillo after Guardiola gave his blessing for Maresca to leave.
“From the very first moment Pep knew that I really wanted to go on to be a manager,” Maresca told The Telegraph.
“He knew that I think he is the best coach in the world and that I went there to help and work with him.
“But he always encouraged me to keep progressing.”
Maresca turned the Foxes into a possession-based side who regularly lined up with 4-3-3 or the occasional 4-2-3-1 while being known to play with inverted full-backs.
His side went from strength to strength and ultimately pipped Ipswich to the title by just a point.
But Maresca’s revolutionary football at the King Power came at the cost of top clubs suddenly taking notice.
And for Chelsea, Maresca fits their criteria.
Experienced former Tottenham and PSG boss Pochettino left the club after just one season and a clear falling out with the board.
So for the third time under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, they were seeking a permanent replacement.
But the board were not out for a serial winner who would demand a say in the running of the club.
Instead, they turned their attention to a young boss with fresh ideas who would do their part to turn things around of the field and leave the rest to the hierarchy.
Kieran McKenna – whose Ipswich were just pipped by Maresca’s Leicester – was an early favourite.
But Chelsea informed McKenna – a former United coach who is linked with replacing Erik ten Hag – that he was no longer being considered.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank was another appreciated by the Blues board.
But none made as bigger impact than Maresca, who is now closing in on a deal to take over at Chelsea.
It will cost the West Londoners around £10million in compensation but the board will feel it is money well spent.
They have been encouraged by how Guardiola’s protege Arteta turned Arsenal into title contenders.
And Maresca faces an equally challenging task following Chelsea’s underwhelming sixth-placed finish.
Pochettino lasted a season, Graham Potter just over half a year and Thomas Tuchel just four months working under Boehly and Eghbali.
Now it is just a matter of time until Maresca becomes the latest to try and take Chelsea back to their trophy-laden glory days.
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He is to be offered a three-year deal – a mark of the Blues’ commitment to make the appointment part of a long-term plan.
And Chelsea hope to wrap the deal up in just a matter of days.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
