Eight deals to restructure the Chelsea team have reportedly already been approved by the team’s new manager, Enzo Maresca. However, a recent disclosure regarding his contract raises questions about how durable his tenure at Stamford Bridge may have been.
The Blues moved quickly to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea’s manager after the somewhat unexpected man was fired last week. Within a year of signing a two-year contract with the well-liked former Tottenham and PSG manager, the Blues chose to part ways with the Argentine, formally through mutual consent.
Though strong factions in the Blues boardroom felt that Pochettino had underperformed with the squad at his disposal, despite leading a second-half revival that ultimately saw the club finish sixth and reach the Carabao Cup final, TEAMtalk readers will not have been surprised by the news, as our correspondent Fraser Gillan, who has close contacts at Stamford Bridge, revealed.
Gillan also disclosed that on Monday and Tuesday of last week, a meeting was held in the Stamford Bridge corridors of power to determine Pochettino’s future, with our man in charge of the possibility of his dismissal as manager.
But the Blues haven’t wasted any time in replacing him; Todd Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali put together a four-man managerial wishlist that originally included Maresca, Roberto De Zerbi, Kieran McKenna, and Sebastian Hoeness.
However, after Leicester gave Maresca permission to speak with Chelsea, the Italian made an immediate impression thanks to his willingness to follow Chelsea’s transfer plans and his vision to re-establish the club among the elite.
Chelsea break clause to be included in Maresca contract
But with Hoeness having swiftly distanced himself from the conversation and McKenna being convinced to remain at Ipswich and sign a new contract at Portman Road, Chelsea moved swiftly to agree to a deal to appoint Maresca as their new manager.
Additionally, it is believed that the former Manchester City assistant to Pep Guardiola has reached an agreement to remain at Stamford Bridge through the summer of 2029, with an additional one-year option.
The initial five-year contract is already longer than what Pochettino had agreed to at Stamford Bridge, which may further indicate that the Argentine and the Blues were never the best of partners. Chelsea has also agreed to pay Leicester £10 million in compensation payments to the Foxes, who are currently searching for a new manager of their own.
Chelsea reportedly spent an additional £10 million to pay Pochettino off, but Maresca won’t benefit as much if things don’t go according to plan at Stamford Bridge. As a result, it is acknowledged that if the Blues ever decide to cut ties, his contract in SW6 will have a number of break clauses that will only allow him to receive a maximum of one year’s salary.
When Maresca has the ball and has to defend their lines, he usually plays in a 3-4-3 formation. When he isn’t on the ball, though, he switches to a 5-4-1 formation. Consequently, Leicester ended the season with the best defense and the second-best attack in the division, winning the Championship title in Maresca’s only season in charge.
Harry Winks, a midfielder, has been instrumental in that success and has provided an explanation of why the Italian is among the best in the league.
“He’s amazing, by far the best manager I’ve worked for,” Winks said of Maresca to Sky Sports.
“I believe that everyone will agree that he has everything and is going to succeed. He is an excellent man manager and a tactical genius. Some of the pre-game decisions he makes and the way you watch the games are unlike anything I have ever seen in football.”
Maresca approves of Chelsea’s first four acquisitions
It is anticipated that confirmation of the agreement to name Maresca as the next Chelsea manager will come in a few days after productive talks between the Blues executives and Maresca took place in Marbella on Wednesday.
With Maresca having already approved four transfers this summer—a new goalkeeper, a left-back, a center-half, and a new No. 9—at the top of his wish list, it appears Chelsea is also making significant progress with their transfer window.
The need for United to acquire a new striker has undoubtedly been a contentious topic of discussion for some time. The team has given serious consideration to a number of prospects, including Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, and Ivan Toney.
Furthermore, even though Osimhen of Napoli has emerged as their top pick, Chelsea cannot afford to consider the Italian due to his intransigence regarding his £102 million (€120 million) exit clause.
A move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is expected to become their top priority going forward due to FFP regulations and the need to bolster other areas of their squad.
The Slovenian has established himself as a major player in the Bundesliga since joining Leipzig, but his £55 million (€65 million) release clause makes him a desirable option this summer.
It is now thought that Maresca has approved the signing of the 20-year-old.
Maresca also wants a new goalkeeper, and according to several sources, Filip Jorgensen of Villarreal is now their top choice.
Maresca is prepared to release four players this summer.
The Blues are also considering a late takeover of the agreement to bring Tosin Adarabioyo to Newcastle this summer, and they have developed an interest in Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, a left-back.
The opportunity to sign the 26-year-old as a free agent is definitely alluring because he is a proven Premier League defender.
But, these expenditures will have a cost, and it is believed that Maresca is prepared to approve the departure of four players this summer as well.
And the first of those, Conor Gallagher, was a player that Pochettino, his predecessor, battled mightily to retain at the team this summer following Chelsea’s intentions to let go of the England international.
The midfielder’s current contract at Stamford Bridge is set to expire in the summer of 2023, and negotiations to extend it have not yet been successful.
The Blues are prepared to cash in on him if any team meets their £50 million valuation in order to help finance their own summertime spending, with Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle all vying for his services.
Out of the three, a transfer to Villa seems most likely right now, as Maresca is prepared to allow the player—who has led Chelsea to multiple victories this season—to move on.
But he won’t be the only well-known player to leave; Ian Maatsen, Armando Broja, and Trevoh Chalobah are three more academy products that the team is reportedly willing to let go.
Borussia Dortmund has made Maatsen a top target following his pivotal role in advancing the team to the Champions League final. After putting himself back into Chelsea’s mix under Pochettino, Chalobah will also have plenty of options; however, Broja’s future is less certain following a relatively ineffective loan stint with Fulham.
Chelsea could raise between £110 and £120 million from the sale of all four stars, which would help finance a significant amount of their summer transfer plans.
