Chelsea given permission to speak to Maresca, expected to agree contract

Leicester City have granted Chelsea formal permission to speak with Enzo Maresca about becoming their next head coach.

Chelsea made an official approach to Leicester earlier on Monday after identifying the Italian as a leading candidate to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

They are now set for discussions with the 44-year-old and are expected to agree a contract spanning a minimum of five years.

Leicester will receive compensation for the impending move, which is expected to be completed this week.

Maresca joined Leicester ahead of the start of the 2023-24 season but guided them back to the Premier League — as Championship title-winners — at the first attempt.

Kieran McKenna was contemplated as an option after leading Ipswich Town to promotion behind Leicester, while Thomas Frank’s work at Brentford also saw him considered.

Chelsea began their search for a new head coach after the club and Pochettino mutually agreed to part ways last week following a review into the team’s performance.

The process of identifying Pochettino’s replacement has been conducted by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley and has seen them land on former Manchester City assistant Maresca as their preferred option.

He worked under Pep Guardiola and was part of the backroom staff for the team’s treble season in the 2022-23, while also working alongside Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham United in 2018 before a short spell with Parma in Italy’s second tier at the start of the 2021-22 season.

If all goes to plan Maresca will become the sixth manager since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-led takeover of the club in 2022.

Thomas Tuchel was sacked by the new ownership in September of that year before Graham Potter was relieved of his duties in April 2023.

Bruno Saltor and then Frank Lampard took interim charge before Pochettino’s appointment in July of last year.

The Argentine departed the club last week after guiding them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League and a place in the Europa Conference League.

GO DEEPER

Chelsea fans, this is Enzo Maresca – the leading candidate to replace Pochettino

(Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)