£8.5m manager wants Chelsea job after positive contacts

Chelsea’s hunt for a new manager is heating up as they look to fill their vacancy quickly, and one man is equally keen to be appointed.

Chelsea part ways with Mauricio Pochettino

Five consecutive wins to end the season could not save Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea job, with the Argentine leaving after just a single season in charge of the Blues.

Though he reached a cup final and saw his side qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League for next season, it was a Premier League campaign of mixed emotions as the fans were forced to come to terms with the club’s dramatic fall from grace since the days of Roman Abramovich.

“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea, we would like to express our gratitude to Mauricio for his service this season. He will be welcome back to Stamford Bridge any time and we wish him all the very best in his future coaching career”, an official statement read announcing that the Argentine and the club have “mutually agreed” it was best for him to leave Chelsea.

Now, the hunt for his successor has begun, with the likes of Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, ex-Blue Thomas Tuchel and former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi all having been linked with the Stamford Bridge vacancy.

Chelsea are keen to move fast though, and one man seems equally keen for a swift installation in the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

Maresca pushing for Chelsea move

That comes in the shape of Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, who is keen to jump ship after guiding the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Italian “remains keen on Chelsea job as he’s given his availability” on taking the reins at Stamford Bridge, and had “positive contacts over the weekend” in his bid to do just that as Chelsea narrow down their search for a new boss.

However, he is “still waiting” for Chelsea’s “final decision” on the matter as they weigh up other candidates, though it has since been claimed that McKenna is no longer an option for the Blues, with only Maresca and Brentford boss Thomas Frank under consideration for the role as it stands.

Maresca was Manchester City’s assistant manager from July 2022 until his arrival at the King Power Stadium last summer, and any deal to take him away from Leicester is likely to need to activate the reported £8.5m release clause in his contract.

He would be the fourth manager in Todd Boehly’s two-year ownership of the Blues, with the club already having been through the highly-regarded pair of Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino after sacking Thomas Tuchel weeks into the 2022-23 season.

But with Maresca keen to make the next step in his management career, could they finally have found a coach to lead their project for the longer term?