LEICESTER CITY manager Enzo Maresca has emerged as a shock candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent on Tuesday following talks with Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
Club officials are now on the hunt for a new permanent manager ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
And SunSport understands Maresca has emerged as a top candidate.
Leicester are now braced for an approach from the Blues.
Maresca reportedly has an £8.5million release clause in his contract.
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The 44-year-old took over at the King Power Stadium last summer following Dean Smith’s departure.
He guided Leicester back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, winning 31 out of 46 Championship games.
However, some fans turned on him towards the end of the season due to a drop in form as Leicester stumbled to the title.
Maresca could be tempted to make the move given Leicester’s current financial situation.
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Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
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.
The Foxes stand accused of breaking spending rules during their last three seasons in the Prem.
That means they could potentially start the 2024-25 season on negative points.
The case has been referred to an independent commission, with a conclusion expected soon.
Before joining Leicester, Maresca worked for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s assistant.
He played an important role in guiding the club to the Treble last season.
Maresca is one of several names linked with the Chelsea job.
Names in the frame
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been under consideration, but the Tractor Boys have just offered him a new lucrative deal in a bid to keep him at Portman Road.
SunSport exclusively revealed on Wednesday that Ipswich chiefs have tabled a four-year contract worth £5million-a-year – quadruple what he currently earns.
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Former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has also been discussed.
De Zerbi left the Sussex side following Brighton’s final Premier League match at the weekend.
Chelsea are beyond a laughing stock
By Andy Dillon
CHELSEA’S longest serving manager under the club’s new owners has left by mutual consent.
The fact that Mauricio Pochettino lasted only 325 days underlines what a basket case of a club it has become.
You might expect a manager to lose his job after five games WITHOUT a win but only Chelsea could lose theirs after five wins on the spin.
When the supporters wrote an open letter to chairman Todd Boehly and his sidekick Behdad Eghbali in March, they expressed fears that their beloved Chelsea was becoming a ‘laughing stock on and off the pitch’.
It is way beyond that now with the departure of the manager who finally looked to be getting a tune out of a squad branded ‘£1billion bottle jobs’ just over two months ago as they crashed to defeat against Liverpool’s youth team in the Carabao Cup Final.
Read Andy Dillon’s full take on the sacking of Pochettino and what it means here.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
