Chelsea were satisfied with Maresca at the end of last season when he delivered Champions League qualification – regarded internally as his most important achievement – plus success in the Conference League and Club World Cup.
While victory in Europe’s third-tier competition was broadly expected, beating Paris St-Germain to be crowned ‘world champions’ was a welcome surprise.
Maresca had delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge – including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, and influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
In line with the agreed strategy when the Italian moved from Leicester City in 2024 – for which the club paid £10m – he focused on coaching the team while those above him oversaw much of the backroom staff, medical department and transfers.
Their transfer policy – signing the world’s best young players from ‘lesser’ leagues to create the youngest team in the Premier League – remains in place.
Maresca knew what he was signing up for – and his issues are not about the quality of players or the strategy, but about the perception of his work with a young group.
The Italian is encouraged to rotate his squad, but often feels that when he does so in the Premier League, they drop points. He has also openly urged reporters to question the club’s hierarchy.
Those familiar with his thinking say he has defended his work because he believes he is performing better than many have acknowledged, given the squad’s age. He also feels the club should have offered him stronger protection from criticism.
Maresca also wanted to take on some external engagements following the club’s recent successes. He had floated the idea of publishing a book but was blocked by the club, and spoke at Il Festival dello Sport – an event in Italy organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper – without their permission.
He also made public that he disagreed with the club not signing a central defender after Levi Colwill injured his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season. The club’s hierarchy explained that doing so could prompt academy prospect Josh Acheampong to request a transfer, which ultimately led Maresca to back down.
Those close to Maresca, who has switched agents from the Wasserman agency to Jorge Mendes, say he is weighing up his future. He has been mooted as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, which Maresca described as “100% speculation”.
In addition, he has increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits, opting instead for his own clothing.
