It’s been a busy start to the new year for Chelsea. After a strong run in December, the Blues’ owner decided to fire manager Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day.
It was certainly a spur-of-the-moment decision and, despite rumors, it looked like he might stay at the club.
However, that was not the case and the Italian was dismissed from his post in 2025 after winning two trophies, including the Club World Cup.
Under-21 manager Callum McFarlane will take charge of West Londoners this weekend against Manchester City, and the search for a new manager has begun.
Well, rumors about who it is are already starting to grow stronger.
Candidates to replace Maresca at Chelsea
There seems to be one name that always comes up when it comes to replacing Maresca in the Stamford Bridge hot seat. That man is Liam Rosenior, who manages Chelsea’s sister club RC Strasbourg.
However, if the transfer of Rosenior does not materialize, there is a good chance that the club’s owner Bruko will cast his net even further in the search for a new manager. According to BBC Sport, one of the names in contention is Porto manager Francesco Faglioli.
According to BBC journalists Sami Mokbel and Nizar Kinsella, the 36-year-old Italian is “being talked about as a potential candidate”.
With 18 months left on his contract, it seems likely that Chelsea will have to pay compensation to bring him to west London.
Why Farioli is an upgrade over Rosenior
Farioli has only been with Porto since July 2025, but he has already made a great start to life in Portugal. This was after he built a good reputation in Ligue 1, having coached OGC Nice in the 2023/24 season, before joining Ajax in the 2024/25 season.
Indeed, Farioli’s start to managing the Portuguese giants has been impressive. In 26 appearances across all competitions, the Italian has led his team to 22 wins, mostly in a 4-3-3 formation.
His team dominated the match, scoring 56 times and conceding only 13 times.
Farioli’s record in Porto (all competitions) | |
|---|---|
status | number |
preferred formation | 4-3-3 |
match | 26 |
victory | twenty two |
draw | 2 |
loss | 2 |
the goal | 56 |
Number of goals against | 13 |
Points per game (League only) | 2.88 |
Transfermarkt statistics | |
Certainly, you can draw comparisons between Farioli at Ajax and Maresca at Chelsea. Eif Soccer’s Marc Geschwind said the situation at each club was “very similar” and both had had to work with “incompetent management” in their previous roles.
Indeed, during his time on the bridge, conditions were sometimes difficult for Maresca. There have been reports of a “lack of protection and interference leading to serious ownership issues” that Mr Farioli may have to address.
His time at Ajax ended with him narrowly missing out on the Eredivisie title, but in that sense it could stand him in good stead.
Meanwhile, Rosenior has enjoyed an impressive 18 months in charge of the club at Strasburg.
Last season, he guided Le Lachine to seventh place in Ligue 1 and into the Conference League, showing some great football along the way.
His results across the club are certainly impressive. He has played 62 games for the club so far, winning 32 and losing just 16.
The London-born manager has certainly had a good run in Ligue 1, and it would be an easy deal for the Blues given that Strasbourg are a BlueCo club.
But appointing Mr. Farioli is probably less risky. Not only did he have experience as a manager in Ligue 1, similar to Rosenior, but his work with Porto proved he could conquer the highest level.
Of course, that is Chelsea’s ultimate goal. They want to be a free team that emphasizes possession and moves with urgency at the back. In his short few months in Portugal, Farioli has shown he can do that.
Rosenia may be a safe option. But perhaps the Porto manager is used to working under a stricter regime and has more expansive football for the first team that Chelsea want.
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The manager could be the perfect successor to Maresca at Chelsea
