Chelsea’s managerial churn under scrutiny
Chelsea parted company with head coach Enzo Maresca on Thursday, just six months after he led the club to victory in the Fifa Club World Cup and only three weeks after he was named Premier League Manager of the Month for November.
Recent results have dipped, with only one win from the past seven league matches, though the decision appears driven primarily by behind-the-scenes disharmony with the club hierarchy.
Maresca’s final game was Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, when his starting line-up had an average age of 23 years and 157 days – the youngest picked by any Premier League side this season.
Chelsea’s recruitment model means Maresca mainly relied on inexperienced players, albeit highly talented ones, often brought in for significant fees. Despite those constraints, he secured the world title, Champions League qualification and victory in the Conference League final, setting a high bar for his successor.
Whoever replaces Maresca will become Chelsea’s fifth permanent manager since the 2022 takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a period marked by managerial turnover almost as relentless as the player churn at Cobham.
Liam Rosenior, currently in charge of sister club Strasbourg, has emerged as an early front-runner. He was harshly dismissed by Hull City as recently as May 2024 but led the French side to European qualification last season.