Chelsea 'agree' £10m Enzo Maresca deal and insert surprise clause into manager's contract

Chelsea have moved quickly to appoint Mauricio Pochettino's successor at Stamford Bridge.

Posted Wednesday, May 29, 2024 by Express.co.uk

Chelsea have agreed a deal with Leicester City to make Enzo Maresca their new manager, according to reports. The Italian is set to be handed a bumper five-year contract and the Foxes are in line to receive a healthy compensation fee.

Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino have all occupied the Chelsea hotseat since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took control of the club in 2022 - and all three of them have met the same fate.

Chelsea have reached an agreement to appoint Enzo Maresca

Despite the high turnover rate, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims that the Blues have decided to hand Maresca a bumper five-year contract. And as if that wasn't long enough, they have also opted to include a clause in the agreement which would allow them to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

Maresca only has one full season of experience in charge of a senior team, leading Leicester to the Championship title in 2023/24. But he won't stick around to try and keep them in the Premier League as an agreement is now 'done', with his Blues contract due to run until at least 2029.

Leicester are believed to be due a compensation fee in the region of £10million. And Boehly will be forced to shell out millions more, due to the length of Maresca's new contract, if the appointment doesn't work out. However, Chelsea are believed to have inserted a number of break clauses to avoid another eye-watering payout.

Pochettino oversaw five straight victories to end the Premier League campaign, leaving Chelsea sixth in the table. But post-season talks saw the Argentine leave by mutual consent as his vision didn't align with that of the boardroom.

Maresca will assume control of an expensively assembed squad comprising some of the world's finest young talent. Before taking the reins at Leicester, his only previous senior managerial experience came in a short-lived stint at Parma in Serie B.

The 44-year-old, who played for the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Sevilla during his professional career, also spent time on Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at Manchester City.

Leicester midfielder Harry Winks has worked with the likes of Pochettino and Jose Mourinho, but he claims Maresca is a cut above any of his previous managers. "By far the best manager I’ve worked for, he’s incredible," Winks told Sky Sports.

"I think everyone will say he’s going right to the top, he’s got everything. He’s a great man manager, he’s tactically incredible, some of the decisions he tells us to do before the game and how you view the matches, it's something that I've never experienced before in football."