MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Chelsea were back on the coaching carousel under American ownership Thursday after Enzo Maresca…
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Chelsea was back on the coaching carousel under American ownership Thursday after Enzo Maresca left his position as manager following a reported deterioration in his relationship with the club. Premier League club hierarchy.
There was no immediate announcement about Maresca’s successor. The BBC and The Athletic reported that Liam Rosenior, who coaches French team Strasbourg – a club in the same ownership group as Chelsea, is a leading contender.
Maresca was in charge midway through his sophomore year, after winning the Conference League And Club World Cup in his first season at Chelsea.
However, the team has endured a turbulent period in recent months – Chelsea have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches and dropped to fifth place – while Maresca publicly expressed his dismay at the lack of support at the club during a post-match press conference on December 13, when the Italian said he had just experienced his “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea.
“With important objectives still to play for in four competitions, including qualification for Champions League football,” Chelsea said a statement”Enzo and the club believe that a change will give the team the best chance to get the season back on track.”
Chelsea are through to the semi-finals of the English League Cup, where they will face Arsenal in two matches, and start their FA Cup campaign against second division Charlton on January 10. In the Champions League, Chelsea are in 13th place in the 36-team competition, two points clear of the eight automatic qualification places with two rounds of matches remaining.
Chaotic regime
Chelsea are looking for a fifth full-time manager since the Premier League takeover of the club by US investors, led by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.
Over the past 3.5 years, Chelsea have spent hundreds of millions of pounds (dollars) on what from the outside looked like a chaotic bid to sign players to overhaul the squad. It now has one of the youngest and most talented squads in the Premier League, with star players such as Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao, but managers are struggling to get the players to thrive as a team after so many changes.
Of all the managers to have managed Chelsea in that period – including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the current coaches of England and the United States respectively – Maresca seemed to handle the chaos best.
Yet he reportedly felt unappreciated given the tough working conditions and recently changed agents, according to the BBC. A few weeks ago, media reports in England linked Maresca with a possible move to Manchester City – where he briefly worked under Pep Guardiola – should Guardiola eventually leave, although Maresca played down the reports.
Dive into the shape
Chelsea’s results have fallen since their 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November.
The team’s only league win in the past month was over Everton, 2-0. There have been draws against Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and losses against Leeds and Aston Villa.
The next match is on Sunday against Manchester City, which is in second place.
Chelsea said his performances under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.”
___
AP football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
#Maresca #leaves #Chelsea #midway #turbulent #season #reported #clash #owner #WTOP #News