Really not strange at all
Chelsea approach Leicester for Enzo Maresca
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Can't help but a feel a bit sorry for Leicester or Ipswich looking like they might well lose McKenna.
Mind you, I do believe that many Leicester fans aren't 100% convinced of Maresca. There's also the fact that there's no loyalty in football, Leicester may well have sacked Maresca if they failed to come up and McKenna isn't in a job for life at Ipswich. Don't blame either manager for looking to make hay while the sun shines.
It's just that the summer after being promoted to the Premier League is the hardest summer of all to plan for and make decisions over because of the chasm you need to bridge. Having to go out and find a new manager on top of it all adds so much more workload and jeopardy to the whole situation.
It's not like they'd have been planning for it either. Some say a club should always be keeping an eye on who might replace their manager if it came to it but I wouldn't blame them if neither had. It's highly unusual for a manager who has won promotion from the Championship to be coveted by bigger clubs and they'd be very secure in their position with nobody at boardroom level even considering making a change.
Potentially puts a huge dent into their prospects of staying up which is going to be tough enough anyway.
Mind you, I do believe that many Leicester fans aren't 100% convinced of Maresca. There's also the fact that there's no loyalty in football, Leicester may well have sacked Maresca if they failed to come up and McKenna isn't in a job for life at Ipswich. Don't blame either manager for looking to make hay while the sun shines.
It's just that the summer after being promoted to the Premier League is the hardest summer of all to plan for and make decisions over because of the chasm you need to bridge. Having to go out and find a new manager on top of it all adds so much more workload and jeopardy to the whole situation.
It's not like they'd have been planning for it either. Some say a club should always be keeping an eye on who might replace their manager if it came to it but I wouldn't blame them if neither had. It's highly unusual for a manager who has won promotion from the Championship to be coveted by bigger clubs and they'd be very secure in their position with nobody at boardroom level even considering making a change.
Potentially puts a huge dent into their prospects of staying up which is going to be tough enough anyway.
Reading some of his quotes he does sound like a coach who’s married to his ideology come rain or shine.
Have no idea if he's good enough for Chelsea (they had a chance to play vs his Leicester team in the cup so perhaps liked what they saw there), just glad they went for him and not McKenna.
Boehly and them may be looking for a competent coach that knows his place and doesn't question decisions made about recruitment or other strategy topics above getting the squad ready for games week to week. Nothing against Maresca at all, but I don't see them going for Tuchel or someone like Tuchel for a long time.
Sevilla manager by Christmas '25
I'm being silly but it does seem like a bit of an odd choice. He should have stormed the Championship with Leicester's squad but ended up limping home.
About to become 7th Italian manager at Chelsea (Vialli, Ranieri, Ancelotti, Di Matteo, Conte, Sarri). All of those guys won something at the club (except for Ranieri who got to CL semis). So if only judging on previous Italian managers at Chelsea, he'll be successful.
Strange appointment. Would have never happened under their previous ownership.
Mckenna >>>>> Maresca
Without a doubt.
One season as a manager and he possibly lands one of the hottest potatoes in world football.
Surely this will end only one way……probably by the October/November international break….
Surely this will end only one way……probably by the October/November international break….
Seems like a major gamble that could only go wrong.
I remeber him playing for Sevilla. Didn’t know he played for Juventus, but it seems he did and he had a famous incident versus Torino, celebrating this late equaliser
I think if Leicester gets 10m for him and replace him with Potter, they probably won't care that much and be fine.
Whilst I'd hope it isn't true, given he has zero premier league experience and it seems a massively risky appointment, you never know... It's riskier even than Potter.
I also didn't believe we would pay 120m+ for a water carrier like Caicedo, but that turned out to be so.
I also didn't believe we would pay 120m+ for a water carrier like Caicedo, but that turned out to be so.
I’m past caring about “big names” or hyped up signings. For players and managers. Our club buys lots of super expensive and super exciting players and they sometimes flop. Then we’ll buy players for small fees or players who were thinking “why would we do that“ and they turn into stars. I would say the vast majority of our fans last summer were shocked/puzzled that we spent £45m or whatever it was on a player who couldn’t even get in Man a city’s team and he then turned out to be one of the best players in the league.
Would I have preferred a bigger name with loads of top flight experience? Yes, absolutely. But I’m not going to lose my shit at Maresca yet. Maybe he turns out to be great 
Would I have preferred a bigger name with loads of top flight experience? Yes, absolutely. But I’m not going to lose my shit at Maresca yet. Maybe he turns out to be great
Surprised, I thought them and De Zerbi were made for each other.
I'll give him 6 months.
I'll give him 6 months.
Enzo Maresca Ei ya ei ya o
I doubt the third part. He was publicly calling out Leicester’s owners for not informing him of their FFP issues before joining.
Minimum 5 year contract seems a bit much.
Boehly and Co love their long contracts, don’t they?
By long term, they mean 6 months or more
He’s a 6-12 month cog in a long term project.
They only gave Poch a 2 year contract, which I guess should have been an early sign they didn’t really believe in him.
5 year deal is laughable considering no manager has stayed at Chelsea longer than 2 years in 17 years.
There could be clauses in there. We have no idea how this contracts are structured. I know this ownership hasn’t showed themselves in the best of lights but I somehow doubt they would throw 5 years guaranteed at such an unproven manager, especially after doing it with Potter and then sacking him 7 months later.
Just watched a clip with Romano, who said it was two years with an option for a third. Seems much more reasonable.
So Chelsea have gone, Tuchel, Potter, Poch, and now Maresca, at a cost that must be pushing £60-£70 million in payoffs and buy outs.
It's clear now that they're taking their inspiration from the Glazers, but just want to get where they have much more quickly.
It's clear now that they're taking their inspiration from the Glazers, but just want to get where they have much more quickly.
Oh! how the mighty have follicle.
OMG this new owners are clueless clowns. They may thought anyway we will sack him at the end of the season. So who available and accept lowest package. Maresca yeah let's appoint him.
Very True
Don’t you dare question the great disruptors. They came here to transform ‘soccer’ with their incredibly advanced methods. By giving him a 5 year contract and then firing him by Xmas, they advance Chelsea’s cause in ways we cannot understand
Sad to see the back of him? Most Leicester fans seem to be fairly indifferent towards him?
Absolutely bizarre appointment. I wasn't that impressed with Leicester's season, they just had better players than everyone else in the Championship.
Not heard of this Lavia guy we're being linked with. Haven't seen him play. He any good?
Lampard was pretty similar although unique set of circumstances he was appointed.
Doing what they do with players. Amortising the cost over as long a period as possible.
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