Chelsea’s squad are excited by the prospect of working under Enzo Maresca, who is poised to be named the next Blues boss.
Maresca, formerly an assistant to Pep Guardiola, has just guided Leicester to the Premier League and is poised to get an opportunity at Stamford Bridge. The 44-year-old’s arrival is close and has been well received by the dressing room, who believe his tactical knowledge is exactly what they need.
Several players have phoned round individuals at both Leicester and Manchester City to get more information on the Italian. Some of that feedback has seen him defined as a players’ coach, in terms of understanding what makes the new generation tick.
Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei worked under Maresca on loan at Leicester over the past season and has spoken to his team-mates in glowing terms about him, which has only seen the positive feeling grow, reports the Evening Standard.
Maresca is due to become the latest manager in the Chelea dugout with Todd Boehly and co proving themselves to have little patience. They’ve already axed Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and now Mauricio Pochettino, who had finished the season impressively.
The Argentine, after originally struggling, had managed to get a tune out of his players and there was surprise internally that he left. That said, some of the players were not naive to the struggles experienced by the manager and the board.
Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart had identified Maresca as a leading candidate to take Chelsea forward, partly due to his tactics and preferred formations, which show plenty of flexibility and have helped Leicester land promotion at the first time of asking.
Maresca is known to push his players hard, but is open and honest about the reasoning behind his approach. He is thought to want his players to know exactly why aspects of training and preparation are carried out, so they are aware in advance of the benefits.
The board are confident that the squad is capable of a top-four finish, having ended in sixth last term, but will also chase more new recruits this summer. Chelsea are set to prioritise bringing in a new goalkeeper, centre-back, left-back and forward over the coming months.
