Chelsea officially announced the sacking of head coach Enzo Maresca.Enzo Maresca left Chelsea at the start of the new year after 18 months in charge. Though their relationship has completely broken down, Maresca’s move upon departure took everyone by surprise. He chose not to negotiate compensation with the club when leaving, and his camp also denied the rumours that he used interest from other clubs to blackmail Chelsea into a contract renewal.
Maresca signed a five-year contract (with an additional 12-month option) when he took charge of Chelsea from Leicester City in 2024, with an annual salary of around £4 million. Based on the contract term, his departure after only 18 months in charge means approximately £14 million in potential compensation remains unpaid.
Notably, in his 18-month tenure, he not only led the team to win the UEFA Europa Conference League title but also lifted the Club World Cup trophy less than five months ago. However, the brilliant achievements failed to cover up the irreconcilable conflicts between him and the club’s management. Feeling his authority was severely undermined, he chose to leave directly despite his anger at the situation, without negotiating compensation terms with the club.
Chelsea attributed the split to Maresca’s "emotional immaturity". Earlier rumours claimed he used interest from Manchester City and Juventus to blackmail the club for a contract renewal, a claim firmly denied by Maresca’s camp. In addition, Maresca was furious at the external accusation that he ignored medical advice and risked fielding Reece James and Cole Palmer, deeming it a smear on his professional ethics.
During his tenure, Maresca admitted he did have conflicts with the club’s senior management over starting line-up and substitution decisions. But the key factor triggering the final rift was the management’s demand that the head coach "should not be the ultimate decision-maker on pitch matters", a position Maresca refused to accept. He believed excessive interference from the board and sporting management had made his role unsustainable, and it was also a disrespect to the team and fans. The dressing room row following the 2-2 home draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday is regarded as the final straw for their relationship.
