Summary

  • Chelsea and head coach Enzo Maresca part ways by mutual consent

  • Italian leaves after deterioration in relationship with club's hierarchy

  • Former Leicester boss joined Chelsea in 2024 and won Europa Conference League and Club World Cup

  • Chelsea won one of six Premier League games in December and two of eight in all competitions

  • Is the right decision? Who next for Chelsea? Have your say using the Get Involved button on this page.

Your views as Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea

Live Reporting

Alex Brotherton, Ben Ramsdale and Alastair Telfer

  1. Thanks for joining us!

    That's all from us!

    Thanks for joining us after the shock announcement that Chelsea and manager Enzo Maresca have parted ways.

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  2. Possible candidates - Francseco Farioli

    Francseco FarioliGetty Images

    Age: 36

    Current club: Porto

    Previous clubs managed: Fatih Karagumruk, Alanyaspor, Nice, Ajax

    Managerial honours: None.

    Why the link?

    Another manager who is full of potential and is highly rated.

  3. Get Involved - 'Rosenior will be compliant'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    The club will appoint Rosenior, because he will be compliant. After 12 to 18 months of reasonable success, like Maresca he will feel he has earned the right to have a say in how the club is run, fall out with the directors and leave. Entirely predictable.

    Nick

  4. Possible candidates - Xavi Hernandez

    Xavi HernandezGetty Images

    Age: 45

    Current club: N/A

    Previous clubs managed: Al Sadd, Barcelona

    Managerial honours: Qatar Stars League, Qatar Cup, Sheikh Jassim Cup, Emir of Qatar Cup, Qatari Stars Cup, La Liga, Supercopa de Espana

    Why the link?

    Helped his former club Barcelona through a difficult financial period and won the league. A big name that would attract excitement and he is out of work.

  5. Get Involved - 'What about getting Zidane?'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    Sad to see Maresca go as he's had success and can see in patches where his ideas came through perfectly. Looking forward, what about getting Zidane in for six months to warm up for the France Job? High status player (and manager) will likely encourage the young squad?

    Tom, Pontefract

  6. Possible candidates - Andoni Iraola

    Andoni IraolaGetty Images

    Age: 43

    Current club: Bournemouth

    Previous clubs managed: AEK Larnaca, Mirandes, Rayo Vallecano

    Managerial honours: Cypriot Super Cup

    Why the link?

    Another younger manager tipped for big things after turning Bournemouth into a consistent top-10 side. His front-footed high-pressing style has impressed.

  7. Possible candidates - Roberto De Zerbi

    Roberto De ZerbiGetty Images

    Age: 46

    Current club: Marseille

    Previous clubs managed: Darfo Boario, Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk, Brighton and Hove Albion

    Managerial honours: Coppa Italia Lega Pro and Ukrainian Super Cup

    Why the link?

    Impressed in the Premier League with Brighton, who have a history of buying younger players, which may suit Chelsea's model.

  8. Get Involved - 'Lampard has to come back'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    Frank Lampard for sure, it has to be.

    Rob, Sutton

    Frank Lampard 100% He knows the score. And what needs doing.

    John, Manchester

    Frank Lampard has to come back.

    Stephen, Bedford

  9. Surprise, surprise, a few of you have suggested a return for a Chelsea legend could be on the cards...

  10. Possible candidates - Cesc Fabregas

    Cesc FabregasGetty Images

    Age: 38

    Current club: Como

    Previous clubs managed: None

    Managerial honours: None

    Why the link?

    His style of play at Como may suit the Chelsea squad. He is young and understands the club as a former Blues player.

  11. Possible candidates - Oliver Glasner

    Oliver GlasnerGetty Images

    Age: 51

    Current club: Crystal Palace

    Previous clubs managed: SV Ried, LASK, VfL Wolfsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt

    Managerial honours: Europa League, FA Cup, Community Shield, 2. Liga (Austria)

    Why the link?

    Glasner, who is yet to land one of the top jobs, has a proven track record of winning trophies. He is out of contract in the summer and is yet to commit his future. He has voiced frustrations at the club's transfer business in the summer.

  12. 'Rosenior sounds good, but is a massive chance to take'

    Pat Nevin
    Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Chelsea want success. They want points to get top four or five and getting into the Champions League every single season.

    But they want something else. They want someone who will do what they tell them to do. Those two things may not be compatible.

    Liam Rosenior sounds like a really good idea, but he's never done it at this level. This is the best league and the hardest league in the world. Even against the bottom teams you can get done if you make mistakes. To bring someone in who doesn't have that level of experience is a massive, massive chance to take.

  13. Possible candidates - Liam Rosenior

    Liam RoseniorGetty Images

    Age: 41

    Current club: Strasbourg - bought by BlueCo ownership under Todd Boehly

    Previous clubs managed: Derby County (interim), Hull City

    Managerial honours: None.

    Why the link?

    Rosenior reportedly turned down Premier League clubs after his first season at Strasbourg that saw his side finish seventh place in Ligue 1 and qualify for the Conference League.

    He is young and highly rated with a strong link to Boehly already.

  14. With all the analysis on Enzo Maresca's tenure out of the way, here are those current front-runners we promised you earlier that could find themselves next in the hotseat...

  15. Chelsea need a ‘puppet’

    Pat Nevin
    Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Chelsea need someone who is going to buy into the methodology. Another way to say that is that you need a puppet.

    Someone who does exactly what they are told from above.

    If you want that person then you have to get one.

    They will get someone in who is young and easy to manipulate.

  16. Get Involved - 'Corrects a poor decision initially'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    As a Chelsea fan, this corrects a poor decision in appointing him in the first place, a project manager with a project squad was never going to work. Now need to find a suitable replacement who actually has some experience.

    Masen, Chelmsford

    Maresca did a great job of coaching a team of kids, watch him go on to another club and do great things when given more license. Yet another terrible decision by the owners.

    Sam, Hampshire

  17. Pat Nevin
    Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    I do feel sorry for Enzo Maresca.

    This dip was always going to happen at this stage of the season because of the amount of football they played at the Club World Cup.

    They barely had a break.

    Enzo MarescaGetty Images

  18. Get Involved - 'When will Chelsea learn?'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    Enzo leaves but the problem remains. The buying policy means we have no experienced or older players within the first team that know how to get results in the trickier ties. Experience counts for so much both at squad and management level so when will Chelsea learn?

    Jason

    Maresca is a good coach and will find success elsewhere. Like Tuchel and Pochettino before him he couldn’t work within the current structure at the club. The decision makers seem more interested in increasing the market value of young players than building a successful team.

    Adam

  19. The job done is about ‘par’

    Pat Nevin
    Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Has he done a good enough job? I think it is about par.

    You can dress it up as world champions and a European trophy with a young team.

    You could also say £1.6 billion spent on players. That would be a decent team.

  20. 'An untenable relationship'

    'This is about an untenable relationship'