Chelsea have agreed a deal to appoint Leicester manager Enzo Maresca as the club’s new head coach.
Maresca has agreed terms on a five-year contract with the West Londoners that will include the option of a further season.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Chelsea will activate the compensation figure in Maresca’s contract at Leicester, believed to be in the region of €10m, with personal terms finalised.
Chelsea had made Maresca their leading candidate after the decision was made for Mauricio Pochettino to leave the club following an end-of-season review, having been impressed with the Italian’s work at the King Power Stadium.
The 44-year-old was appointed as Leicester’s head coach last summer, after previously working as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and led the Foxes to the Championship title.
After a shock relegation the previous season, Maresca guided Leicester back into the Premier League at the first attempt and has won admirers for his attractive and possession-dominant brand of football.
Chelsea had considered Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna and Brentford boss Thomas Frank, as the Blues sought a manager with experience of English football.
The length of the contract indicates Chelsea are planning for the long-term under Maresca, having appointed Pochettino on a two-year deal in 2023. Maresca will become the fourth permanent manager at Stamford Bridge since the takeover by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, following Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Pochettino.
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