Chelsea has announced that they have mutually parted ways with manager Enzo Maresca ahead of their upcoming match against Manchester City this Sunday.
Maresca’s tenure at Stamford Bridge, lasting 18 months, concluded following a disappointing stretch where the team won just one of their last seven Premier League matches, leaving Chelsea in fifth place in the standings.
The Chelsea supporters expressed their dissatisfaction with the team’s performance, booing as they left the field after a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday. Chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” were directed at Maresca when he opted to substitute Cole Palmer.
While the official communication from Chelsea did not explicitly state that Maresca had been dismissed, it noted that “Enzo and the club believe a change provides the best opportunity for the team to regain momentum this season.”
His departure was confirmed through a statement of 99 words issued after discussions regarding his future on Thursday.
According to sources, the main factor behind his exit was a deterioration in his relationship with the club’s leadership, as Maresca had increasingly expressed his frustrations regarding Chelsea’s ownership publicly.
Last month, Maresca mentioned he had faced “the worst 48 hours” of his time at Chelsea leading up to a 2-0 victory against Everton, although he refrained from detailing the incident. Sources indicated that his discomfort stemmed from ongoing issues related to his workplace environment rather than a single conflict.
His public remarks reportedly surprised members of his own coaching staff.
As head coach, Maresca operated within a well-structured framework with five sporting directors, led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stuart. In November, former Liverpool director of scouting and recruitment, Dave Fallows, joined the team alongside Joe Shields and Sam Jewell.
Behdad Eghbali, co-founder of Clearlake Capital, is also a significant figure from the ownership group, along with co-owner Todd Boehly, who remains actively involved.
Maresca had shown signs of frustration during the summer transfer window when the club did not heed his request for an additional center-back following a severe knee injury to Levi Colwill.
After the match against AFC Bournemouth, Maresca did not attend the post-match press conference, with the official reason cited as “illness.”
Since joining Chelsea in July 2024, Maresca successfully led the team back to Champions League competition in his first season by securing a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and winning the Conference League title, as well as the inaugural Club World Cup.
Chelsea has yet to announce an interim manager in preparation for the upcoming match against Manchester City.