'Chelsea is a bonkers club' - Enzo Maresca tipped for swift return to management after shock sacking

Maresca's turbulent 18-month reign as Chelsea head coach concluded abruptly on New Year's Day following a spectacular breakdown in relations with the club's hierarchy. The Italian, who secured Champions League qualification and won the Conference League and Club World Cup last season, departed by mutual agreement after a dismal run in the league. Tensions reached boiling point over several issues, including disagreements regarding player return-from-injury protocols with the medical team and Maresca's public comments about not feeling supported. 

The final straw for the board came with revelations that Maresca had held discussions with Manchester City and Juventus about future roles, which Chelsea reportedly considered disrespectful. His final act was skipping the post-match press conference after the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, officially due to illness, but later claimed to be a smoke screen as he walked out without speaking to his players. And while the Blues are now searching for their fifth permanent manager since the 2022 takeover, Shearer believes Maresca will have his pick of new clubs. 

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: "His time at Chelsea should be viewed as a successful spell for Maresca. They beat the best team around last year in PSG; he out-coached the Coach of the Year. They won the Conference League, which you’d expect, but not many thought they’d go to the Club World Cup and win. He’s in and around the top four, so for me, he’s done a really good job. He’ll leave with his stock high. I don’t think he’ll struggle to get another job because of the work he’s done at Chelsea and Leicester. Whether he gets one of the big ones remains to be seen. There’s been talk about City, hasn’t there, but it depends on if Pep Guardiola decides to leave and when, but he won’t struggle for a job in England or abroad."

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Shearer also took aim at the management structure Chelsea have put in place following the departure of Roman Abramovich in 2022. He said: "You know when you go into that job what you're doing, it's a very different football club to others in terms of how it's managed. That's not Maresca, that's the people above him. Their model is obviously to buy young, develop them, and give them crazy long contracts with the potential to sell. I don't think you're going to win the league like that. You might get into the top four because you can spend, but in the main, the guy coming in has to do better than the guy that's just left. 

"The guy that left won two trophies last year. They were sitting in fifth, one win off the top four, so, I think he did a really good job. I'm not sure he could have done any better. His stock is high. Am I surprised? Not really. I think Chelsea is a bonkers football club at times. That's the owners, that's how they want to run their club. It's very different, and that's what Maresca was trying to tell us with that little rant three weeks ago. He was manager of the month in November. I know they've only won one in seven, and at a top club that is hard to watch, but nothing surprises me in football, let alone at that club."

Former Fulham defender Liam Rosenior is the strong favourite to be appointed the next permanent Chelsea boss. Rosenior currently manages Strasbourg, a French club also owned by Chelsea's parent company, BlueCo. This connection means he is well-regarded by the hierarchy in west London, who admire his player development skills and style of play. While he is the leading candidate, some pundits question his experience at the top level. Others like Oliver Glasner have been linked to the job, but Rosenior is the preferred choice. He has refused to guarantee his future at Strasbourg, acknowledging the speculation could develop quickly. Calum McFarlane is the interim boss for Chelsea's immediate match against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.