The Chelsea board is embarrassed as Maresca is determined to prepare for Man City
Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun, Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Chelsea are back at square one in this tumultuous job after parting ways with manager Enzo Maresca today.
Despite still being in the Champions League, the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, and in the race for the top four, Chelsea are set for another managerial change as Maresca joins Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel as head coaches to leave the club under the BlueCo.
“Given the important goals that still lie ahead in four competitions, including qualifying for the Champions League, Enzo and the Club believe that the change gives the club a better chance of getting the season back on track,” a club statement released today read.
But is this the right call? Is the manager really to blame for Chelsea’s poor performance? Are things that bad?
Enzo Maresca is definitely heading to Manchester City in a possible embarrassment for the Chelsea directors
Although nothing seems to have been decided yet, there are strong signs that Maresca’s talks with Manchester City have been very serious.
See the beat as both Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein drop interesting updates on Maresca’s links to Man City…
? Enzo Maresca remains on Man City’s shortlist, he is highly rated but nothing has been agreed yet.
Guardiola has not made a decision, he is 100% focused on this season + Maresca respects Pep.
Maresca, in #MCFC short list only if Pep leaves.
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 1, 2026
It’s hard to imagine that Maresca would have chosen this fight with Chelsea if he didn’t believe that the City job would get him next summer. Did the Blues board fail to really support their manager and appreciate the work he was doing? So, is it any wonder that he decided that he was also very unfaithful to them?
? EXCL: Enzo Maresca informed Chelsea (twice in late October and again in mid-December after Everton comments) he was talking to people related to Man City about #MCFC manager position if/when a vacancy arises. #CFC the contract is binding for 45 years to do so @TheAthleticFC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 1, 2026
It goes without saying that if the Italian tactician ends up replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, and succeeds, then a few higher-ups at Chelsea will look foolish for their handling of the situation.
See below how Maresca’s winning record compares to other recent Chelsea managers and it’s clear why the likes of City would be interested…
| Chelsea’s six full-time managers | win % | Medals |
| Maurizio Sarri | 61.90 | The Europa League |
| Frank Lampard | 52.38 | (Nothing) |
| Thomas Tuchel | 60.00 | Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup |
| Graham Potter | 38.71 | (Nothing) |
| Mauricio Pochettino | 50.98 | (Nothing) |
| Enzo Maresca | 59.78 | Europa Conference League, Club World Cup |
Chelsea fans are of course not happy with the project
Chelsea should get their next managerial appointment right, and sign better players, because it’s clear the fans are already fed up.
Our poll below has only been live for half an hour, but it’s clear that there’s a very strong message being sent here, with 73.5% of CFC fans blaming the board for the club’s current problems, rather than Maresca or the players…
? – Chelsea fans, where do you stand on who should be blamed for the club’s current problems? ?? #CFC
– CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 1, 2026
“It’s still a big smile on the face of the sports managers, who failed with the appointment of managers, and they should be under pressure now,” said Will Faulks, editor of the Chelsea News, told. CaughtOffside.
Meanwhile, we are already hearing rumors that the management are rejecting the Chelsea job, so will they be able to find anyone decent enough to lift the team in the second half of the season?
