Who Should Replace Enzo Maresca? The Top 5 Candidates For Chelsea's Hot Seat

Who Should Replace Enzo Maresca? The Top 5 Candidates For Chelsea's Hot Seat

With the shock news of Enzo Maresca deciding to cut his Chelsea managerial career short, now the question begs, who will be the manager to take over?

Being the manager of Chelsea is a tough one because it’s a job that doesn’t give you time; you have to win from the get-go if you want to stay in your job. We saw this with Graham Potter, who had always been seen as a manager who needs time and that’s something he didn’t have at Chelsea. When results turned sour so did the fans’ opinion of him and before long he was out of a job.

In this article we will have a look at the top five candidates to replace Enzo in no particular order.

Roberto De Zerbi (Marseille)

The Italian is no stranger to the Premier League following his neat two years in charge at Brighton. He had great success there as he helped steer them to their very first European season, smashing a lot of records, including highest points tally, most goals scored in a season etc.

He has a fiery character which, in my opinion, is perfectly suited for a Chelsea job; a manager in that role needs a lot of passion and fight and De Zerbi certainly has a lot of it. He demands a lot from his players but will always fight for the club and the players he manages.

However, the reason for Maresca leaving was the lack of control he had at the club, which is what De Zerbi’s principles also align with; he doesn’t want to be just a yes man for the board, he wants to be the one making decisions so on that front De Zerbi joining Chelsea is an unlikely outcome.

Liam Rosenior (Strasbourg)

Currently the bookies’ favourite and the name that’s been brought up most amongst reports. Rosenior is a very young manager and has only managed a few clubs so far. These include Derby, Hull and now Strasbourg. This is a big issue for Chelsea fans because so far in his managerial career he has not managed one massive club, like Chelsea.

This lack of experience is a major red flag for a club that only expects the highest quality and only expects trophies come the end of the season. As a Brighton fan I’d love to him join us down the line, even now I’d take him. He’d suit us because we’re a club willing to give managers that little bit more time and aren’t demanding trophies and success from day one.

I believe the pressure will be too much for Rosenior and if he were to become manager, I can’t see it lasting too long.

Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace)

Maybe somewhat less realistic but certainly a candidate. Glasner is seen as one of the best managers across the league; taking over from Roy Hodgson, he’s found instant success at the South London side. Winning the FA Cup in his first full season has made him Palace’s best-ever manager.

With reports of Glasner wanting out of Palace come the end of the season due to a lack of backing in the transfer window could Chelsea try tempting him away mid-season. With being at Chelsea he’d have proper backing and would inherit a squad beaming with quality all over the pitch.

However, similar to De Zerbi, Glasner has principles and won’t bend as easily as someone like Rosenior would. He left Frankfurt after a lack of investment in the squad and publicly called out the owners, something Chelsea will not want to happen.

Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)

Iraola is taking charge of his third Bournemouth season; he has gone from strength to strength and improved every season. Last season saw them finish ninth on 56 points; this was their joint-best finish and best points finish in the Premier League.

This season they started in fine form and reached as high as second place; they’d lost just once in their first nine games and looked destined to finally break into those European places. Alas, since beating Forest in game week nine, they’ve failed to win a single Premier League game for 10 matches and slumped all the way down to 15th.

Due to this run of form, Chelsea might be put off by the idea of appointing Iraola; maybe if form had stayed similar to what it was at the start of the season, he’d be higher up on their shortlist but at the moment I don’t think it’ll be too likely he joins Chelsea.

Cesc Fabregas (Como)

The Spaniard is currently managing his first ever club, being Como over in the Serie A. During their promotion season in 23/24, he was the assistant manager, as he didn’t yet have his UEFA Pro Licence. Como got promoted and once he got his UEFA licence, he was then appointed manager.

Como have incredible recruitment, which has helped Fabregas hugely. He guided them to a 10th-place finish in their debut season in the Serie A and so far is doing even better; he has them in sixth place, being a Conference League place. But just six points from the UCL places.

Fabregas is a fan favourite at Chelsea, having played there from 2014 to 2019; he won two Premier League titles along with a League Cup and a Europa League. He knows the club well, which means he knows what Chelsea want from their manager and will want to deliver nothing but success for them.