Questions are being raised about the future of Enzo Maresca, as the club continue to struggle for form. The Italian has had some fantastic moments at Chelsea, but overall, it does not feel like things are moving in the right direction, a year-and-a-half into his run at Stamford Bridge. Some cryptic comments that he made recently have only clouded matters further.
On the other hand, if Maresca does end up leaving Chelsea, he might not have a tough time finding a new project. Juventus are one of the clubs believed to be monitoring the Italian manager's situation at Stamford Bridge.
At the same time, it looks like Chelsea might be prepared for life without Maresca as well. In fact, they might have a replacement lined up that a lot of fans won't be impressed with.
Liam Rosenior is the man who could end up getting the Chelsea job if they sack Maresca or the two part ways mutually in the future. As reported by Football FanCast, Simon Phillips wrote on his Substack:
""Chelsea have a club-wide ideology to play possession-based football only.
"So they would only look for that kind of manager. I also wouldn’t expect any big personalities to come in, because the head coach gets very little say in operations.
"If Maresca goes, I can only see Liam Rosenior ‘getting promoted’ from Strasbourg. I genuinely see that happening.
"I don’t think we would see an Andoni Iraola or even an Oliver Glasner come in. They already have Rosenior lined up for when needed.""
Chelsea have Enzo Maresca replacement lined up that fans won't like
Rosenior is currently the manager of Strasbourg. He is already part of the BlueCo project. And from what we have seen from this ownership over the years, it would not come as any surprise if he is given the Chelsea job at some point.
Nobody rates the BlueCo model more highly than the ownership themselves. In reality, as things stand, it is a failing structure.
Chelsea, after spending more than a billion pounds since their takeover, struggles to qualify for the Champions League. The only two trophies they have won are the Conference League and the Club World Cup. The first is a competition no top team wants to be in. The second was a nice bonus, but not something that should be viewed as make-or-break.
To be fair, Rosenior has done a decent job at Strasbourg. But at the end of the day, he is a mid-table manager in the French Ligue 1. There is nothing to suggest that he can guide a team like Chelsea to where they need to be, which is winning the top prizes in football. Then again, it often feels like success has taken a backseat under this new ownership. They seem a lot more concerned about doing things their way.