Enzo Maresca: Why head coach left Chelsea amid disagreements with medical staff and interest from rival clubs
Enzo Maresca left Chelsea on Thursday after 18 months in charge; Maresca had disagreements with medical staff and informed the club of interest from two rival clubs in recent months; Liam Rosenior is the favourite to replace the Italian
Thursday 1 January 2026 22:38, UK
Enzo Maresca decided to step down from his role as Chelsea head coach because he felt his position was untenable, while it has been revealed his cryptic criticism earlier this month was directed at the club's medical team.
Maresca departed Chelsea on New Year's Day after a breakdown in relations with the club and a run of disappointing results - one win from the last seven Premier League games - that has left them 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Maresca. The Ligue 1 club are owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo.
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Chelsea are unlikely to pursue Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi, with Rosenior now considered the frontrunner for the job.
Chelsea were already considering sacking Maresca due to poor results, his comments in the media, disagreements with the medical team and reports linking him with other clubs.
Mystery of 'worst 48 hours' comment solved
After the 2-0 home victory over Everton in mid-December, Maresca stunned reporters by saying he had endured his "worst 48 hours" at the club and said "many people didn't support us".
The head coach then declined several opportunities to expand on his comments.
However, the mystery of who Maresca was talking about has been been solved. The Italian had several disagreements with the Chelsea medical department about the fitness and availability of players during his time at the club, including the minutes played by captain Reece James, who has a history of hamstring injuries.
Medical staff disagreements and rival interest
Maresca had several disagreements with the Chelsea medical department about the fitness and availability of players during his time at the club.
From Chelsea's perspective, these were only disagreements about detailed recommendations from the club's medical and performance departments about player workload and they were not anyone interfering in the head coach making football decisions.
Regarding reports linking Maresca with other clubs, he and his agent are believed to have informed Chelsea about interest from at least two Champions League clubs in recent months.
At the same time, they made it clear that Maresca had no intention of leaving and he was willing to discuss a possible contract renewal.
As Maresca was already tied down to a long-term contract until 2030 which had only been signed in the summer of 2024, Chelsea were not willing to give him a new deal to stop talks with other clubs.
Maresca's final game in charge was Chelsea's 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, during which the home crowd booed and chanted "you don't know what you're doing" when he substituted Palmer.
Maresca felt position was untenable
Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
"The latest information I have is that Enzo Maresca decided to step down as he felt his position was untenable. It doesn't usually happen that a Premier League boss walks away from the club.
"But I believe it is not as clear-cut as that. Chelsea were considering making a change. There were issues with results and comments he made in the media, and also the fact he had been linked with other jobs.
"There are key people at Chelsea who are impressed by the job Liam Rosenior has done at Strasbourg. His style of football is the same as Chelsea play. The only problem is, he has a job at the moment and has a big game against Nice on the weekend.
"He is the leading candidate. Other names I have heard mentioned that are unlikely are Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola and Roberto De Zerbi.
"Chelsea have a small shortlist - less than a handful of candidates. They have been vetting the candidates and have a contingency plan.
"The next appointment will be a permanent head coach and he will need to fit under the exact same structure that Maresca was working under.
"But I don't think they can make an appointment in time for Man City on Sunday."
Rosenior next for Chelsea?
Rosenior, the 41-year-old Englishman, has emerged as the favourite to replace Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
Rosenior played for Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton during a 16-year playing career.
After hanging up his boots in 2018, Rosenior almost guided Hull to the Championship play-offs in 2024 and then became head coach of Strasbourg, who are owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo. The French club finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.
"There is expectation around Liam Rosenior," says Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol.
"Would Chelsea be worried that he is inexperienced? His only managerial experience in English football has been at Hull City. But I was told: 'Look at Enzo Maresca'.
"There is a feeling at Chelsea that it wouldn't be that much of a risk to turn to Rosenior, but of course it would be a massive step up for him, to go from Strasbourg in Ligue 1 to managing one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"Rosenior, however, is just one of the candidates."
Chelsea's January fixtures
Maresca's successor will take over a side that are fighting on four fronts.
Chelsea sit fifth in the Premier League, are on course for Champions League knockout qualification, have an FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton this month and face a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.
- Sunday January 4: Man City (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday January 7: Fulham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Saturday January 10: Charlton (A) - FA Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday January 14: Arsenal (H) - Carabao Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Saturday January 17: Brentford (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
- Wednesday January 21: Pafos (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
- Sunday January 25: Crystal Palace (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm (live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday January 28: Napoli (A) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
- Saturday January 31: West Ham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
