- 5 hours ago
Revealed: The power behind Enzo Maresca's Chelsea throne
Enzo Maresca’s powers as Chelsea head coach are set to be restricted by the club’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, The Transfers Podcast understands.
Instead of being a manager in a traditional sense, the 44-year-old Italian will be a member of staff, albeit a highly capable one, who fits in with the club’s existing structure.
The appointment process was largely driven by Winstanley and Stewart, with the club seeking a ‘coach’ rather than a ‘manager’.
Chelsea wanted an individual to develop players and play a style of possession-based football suited to the talent that Winstanley, Stewart and others have signed - committing to over £1bn in transfer fees in the past two seasons.
Maresca has been appointed to fit what they think is the correct playing style.
Maresca came out on top after Chelsea’s search ahead of the other candidates on the shortlist - Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna.
The Transfers Podcast understands that the working relationship between the club's football department and Maresca will extend to a level rarely seen before in English football.
The sporting directors will determine not only the composition of the squad and the players to be signed for the coach, but also the playing style of the team.
Should they decide that a playing-style change is required during the season Maresca will be instructed to implement it.
The sporting directors will even have control over when the first team will train.
Maresca was signed by the Blues on a five-year contract, with a further one-year option.
He will be the sixth man to manage Chelsea since Clearlake Capital's 2022 takeover of the club.
Chelsea have paid significant compensation to get Maresca from Leicester City. The Italian has only had one full season in charge of a first team, winning the Championship with Leicester’s expensively assembled squad last term.
A former Pep Guardiola assistant at Manchester City, his previous stint as a first-team manager was at Parma, where he lasted just 14 matches.
The longest any manager has survived at Chelsea under Clearlake Capital’s ownership is Mauricio Pochettino, who made it through the whole of last season before deciding to leave by mutual consent.
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Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea
