Chelsea are poised to demand compensation from Manchester City should the Premier League champions appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager, and the west London club is prepared to take legal action if the fee is not forthcoming.
Stamford Bridge officials were left incensed by the Italian coach amid allegations that he had engaged in discussions with City while still employed by Chelsea. Maresca departed Chelsea in acrimonious circumstances and is now set to replace Pep Guardiola, whose impending exit was revealed by Daily Mail Sport last night.
Should a compensation figure not be agreed between the two clubs, Chelsea could escalate the matter by lodging a formal complaint with the Premier League, which would then launch an investigation into the affair.
Last month, at a conference in Los Angeles, Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali was questioned about Maresca's departure. 'The change wasn't the club's decision,' he said, 'for reasons I can't speak about legally.' Perhaps tellingly, Eghbali added: 'I think the reasons will become kind of clear in due course. But no, it's not a change we wanted to make. It's a change that's had a bit of a negative impact on the season, when you're changing systems and personnel. And it's one we've got to fight our way out of.'
Background to the Dispute
Maresca left Chelsea on January 2, with his position deemed untenable after he skipped post-match media duties following a draw with Bournemouth. At the time, the club was in second place, but a run of poor results preceded his departure. Replacement Liam Rosenior was unable to reverse the slide, and the club now has a caretaker manager in charge for the remainder of a deeply disappointing campaign.
Before joining Leicester City, Maresca served as Manchester City's Under-23s coach and then as first-team assistant to Guardiola during the 2022-23 season. After guiding the Foxes to the Championship title, he won the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup during his tenure at Chelsea.
However, his relationship with the club deteriorated. This newspaper revealed that Chelsea bosses had taken the extraordinary step of placing a member of medical staff on the bench during matches to ensure Maresca substituted players returning from injury at pre-agreed times.
Guardiola's Farewell and Title Race
Manchester City are set to host a parade this weekend on Monday, where fans are expected to bid farewell to Guardiola, who has won 17 major trophies during a decade of dominance at the Etihad Stadium. His side head to Bournemouth tonight knowing that anything other than victory would hand the Premier League title to rivals Arsenal.
