Chelsea have identified an “incredible” manager as their top target to replace Enzo Maresca after parting ways with the Italian manager on New Year’s Day.
Blues looking for new manager after Maresca leaves
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says Bruco will waste no time in appointing a new manager following Maresca’s departure. “Chelsea will appoint a new manager soon, but it won’t take weeks or a long time. The club is currently working on it.”
“Liam Rosenior, who is highly regarded within the company after his excellent work in Strasbourg, is also a candidate.
“The decision will be made within the next few days and will not take long.”
The Blues have a busy month ahead of them, starting with a difficult trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Sunday, with eight further games scheduled until the end of January.
As such, they could appoint a new manager soon and Rosenior could be an exciting option given his work with Strasbourg, where he led the French side to the Europa Conference League last season.
However, according to reports in Spain, Chelsea have now identified Gareth Southgate as their frontrunner to replace Maresca, and the search for a new manager has already begun.
The former England manager is a top candidate for the role and the board has been particularly impressed with the work he has done with the Three Lions, during which time he has demonstrated an ability to deal with pressure from the media.
Not only that, but Southgate’s ability to develop young players has also been highly praised, with the 55-year-old clearly ticking a lot of boxes for BlueCo.
Chelsea could finally sack Maresca and hire ‘one of the best coaches of all time’
Chelsea were finally able to get rid of Enzo Maresca by appointing this outstanding substitute.
‘Incredible’ Southgate could be a risky appointment for Chelsea
The Englishman has been praised for his work with the Three Lions, with Lionesses manager Sarina Wigman saying: “What he’s done for English football is absolutely incredible. Of course they got to the final again, they got to the final at the last Euros. I think he’s very, very proud of himself. I think England is very, very proud of him and of me as a Dutchman. I’m very proud of him too.”
In fact, Southgate led England to two European Championship finals, but they ultimately failed to get over the line in 2021 despite having home advantage against Italy.
Furthermore, the former Middlesbrough manager has limited experience at club level and has not managed a team outside of England since leaving the Riverside Stadium in 2009.
The former England manager would be a risky move for Chelsea, who suffered relegation along with Boro, but given that Stamford Bridge hosts Champions League football, they could probably do better.
