Chelsea FC has officially announced former Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca as the new manager.
Maresca is coming off a championship title-winning season with Leicester City, earning his side promotion into the Premier League. The board and Maresca will work hand in hand on the summer transfer window with outgoings and incomings discussed. Although, as discussed when Maresca was chosen for the job, he probably will have little to no say in transfer decisions.
Maresca on joining Chelsea: “To join Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any coach. It is why I am so excited by this opportunity. I look forward to working with a very talented group of players and staff to develop a team that continues the club’s tradition of success and makes our fans proud.”
Who will be on Maresca’s staff?
Maresca’s staff will include many, including former Chelsea goalkeeper and UEFA Champions League winner Willy Caballero. The rest will be as follows; Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez, Javi Molina, Roberto Vitiello, newly hired goalkeepers coach Ben Roberts, and newly acquired set pieces coach Bernardo Cueva. (Fabrizio Romano)
Chelsea needs to upgrade at goalkeeper
According to Fabrizio Romano, Enzo Maresca likes Robert Sanchez and thinks he can get the best out of his passing and maximize his ball-playing skills. In that same post, Romano indicated that Sanchez will be staying at the club this summer amid transfer speculation. There have been links to goalkeepers already this summer including Filip Jørgensen of Villareal CF and Giorgi Mamardashvil of Valencia CF.
Omari Hutchinson could be sold soon
It has just come across the ticker that Chelsea Football Club plans on selling young right winger Omari Hutchinson in the upcoming summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. It is understood to Fabrizio that Stuttgart are the favorites and are pushing to sign Hutchinson, but Ajax, Feyenoord, and other Premier League clubs are keen on signing. Hutchinson was a youth free agent signing from the Arsenal academy and will be considered to be a pure profit signing which will help the club balance the books from the previous transfer windows.
What will Enzo Fernandez‘s role be under Maresca?
There have been internal discussions on whether the young Argentine national midfielder Enzo Fernandez should be allowed to join his country at the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris.
There is some problem with allowing him to go although, considering he is playing in the 2024 Copa America tournament that is being held in North America this summer. Allowing Enzo to go to the Olympics would mean he wouldn’t be able to be assessed by Maresca for the first time in pre-season, and the club views that as more important than letting him go play.
Enzo obviously wants to play very badly, but after an injury-riddled season which led him to have season-ending surgery to fix a recurring groin problem, it seems likely he will return after the Copa.