Chelsea have parted ways with head coach Enzo Maresca with immediate effect less than two years into his contract.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that the club’s board were to meet that day to discuss Maresca’s future, with Chelsea winless in their past three games.
The Italian had been on a five-year deal through to 2029.
Maresca was the Premier League’s manager of the month in November but sparked uncertainty over his future with comments following their win against Everton on December 13 that the previous 48 hours had been his “worst since I joined the club, because many people didn’t support us”.
The Athletic revealed days after the comments that the head coach is high among the candidates Manchester City are considering in the event of Pep Guardiola leaving the Etihad Stadium next summer. The Catalan has been at City since 2016 but is under contract until 2027.
The two teams meet each other in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and it remains to be seen who will be in charge for Chelsea following Maresca’s departure.
The situation has come to a head following Tuesday evening’s draw with Bournemouth, a third game without a win and one which saw Maresca and his side booed off at full-time at Stamford Bridge.
The club remain firmly behind the approach installed following the takeover by the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly consortium in 2022 with the next head coach expected to fit into it and quickly stabilise and improve results.
Maresca was appointed by Chelsea in June 2024, the sixth manager since Roman Abramovich’s exit. He joined the London club off the back of guiding Leicester City to the Championship title and automatic promotion to the top flight at the first attempt.
In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Maresca won the Conference League and the newly-expanded Club World Cup.
Chelsea sit fifth in the Premier League, 15 points behind leaders Arsenal and only five points above 14th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
