Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has become a household name in 2025 after guiding the Blues to two trophies, including the FIFA Club World Cup. Now, he has found himself linked to one of his club’s Premier League rivals.
But which Premier League club is aiming to appoint Maresca as their new manager?
Chelsea’s Maresca Attracts Attention From Former Employers
According to The Athletic, Manchester City’s leadership suspects that manager Pep Guardiola could decide to depart after the end of the ongoing 2025-26 season. As a result, they have identified Chelsea’s Maresca as a potential candidate to replace Guardiola in the future.
Due to his prior work experience at Manchester City, Maresca is now being deemed a top managerial choice. The Italian tactician, who would not be the only contender for the job, is held in high esteem by the Cityzens’ hierarchy right now.
Maresca, a former Juventus and Sevilla player, previously worked at Manchester City across two separate spells. He led their U-23 team to the Premier League 2 title in the 2020-21 season before returning as a first-team assistant coach for the 2022-23 campaign.
As Chelsea’s head coach, the 45-year-old has won 55 and lost 20 of his 89 total matches in charge. He helped the west London club finish fourth in the Premier League last campaign, guiding them to success in the UEFA Conference League as well.
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Maresca Opines on Support From Chelsea Fans After 3–1 Win
Earlier on Tuesday, Dec. 16, Chelsea progressed to the EFL Cup semi-finals after registering a 3-1 win over EFL League One side Cardiff City. Alejandro Garnacho bagged a brace, while Pedro Neto scored once during the away contest.
During a post-match press conference, Maresca insisted that he felt supported by his side’s fans and was impressed with his players during the EFL Cup victory in Cardiff, Wales.
“I said many times in many press conferences, the support, they have always been there, knowing that any supporters in the world when you don’t win, they are not happy. So, in some moments when you don’t win games, they have been not happy, but it’s normal. But overall, the fans have always been there,” Maresca said (via BBC).
Maresca, who has guided Chelsea to three semi-finals in the last 18 months, added, “I just said that these are the kind of games that I fall in love even more with the players because you cannot imagine how easy it is to slip, to slide, because they are tricky games.”
