'Inevitable he had to go' - Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea by mutual consent

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.

Friction has been brewing for months.

Enzo Maresca had hoped to raise his profile following the Blues' successes through opportunities outside the club. He was planning to publish a book before being blocked, and spoke at Il Festival dello Sport - an event in Italy organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper - without the club's 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.

The former Leicester manager has also switched agents - from the Wasserman agency to Jorge Mendes - and has been talked of as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, which Maresca has dismissed.

In addition, he has increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits - opting instead for his own clothing.

Enzo Maresca delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge - including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali - by steering Chelsea to a top-four finish and winning the Uefa Conference League and Club World Cup last year.

Yet success soon turned to sourness in his relationship with the hierarchy.

Maresca stunned even members of his own staff when - after beating Everton 2-0 for Chelsea's solitary Premier League win in December - he said "many people" had made it his "worst 48 hours" since joining the club.

Those comments came without any warning to club staff or senior management, who would have preferred any discussions to remain private.

'Worst 48 hours' since I joined Chelsea - Maresca's post-Everton rant

Was this the moment it all started to go wrong for Enzo Maresca and Chelsea?

After their 2-0 win over Everton on 13 December, the Italian described the build-up to the match as "the worst 48 hours" since he arrived at the club.

Speaking in this post-match press conference, Maresca said: "The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

Pressed on what he meant, he added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."