Enzo Maresca: Why Leicester City were ‘disappointed’ he accepted Chelsea job

Enzo Maresca will face his former club Leicester City for the first time after leaving the Foxes over the summer to join Chelsea.

The 44-year-old’s parting gift for Leicester was the Championship title to clinch their return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Maresca had only joined Leicester the previous summer but after Chelsea‘s ownership came calling, following the decision to part company with Mauricio Pochettino, the Italian was unable to refuse the offer.

He ended up signing an initial five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and has made a positive start to life with the Blues, who are currently sitting in third place. Leicester made a move to appoint Steve Cooper, who has secured 10 points from their opening 11 league matches.

Following Leicester’s return to the top-flight, to ensure they complied with Financial Fair Play regulations, they were forced to part ways with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Chelsea ended up beating Brighton & Hove Albion to his signature in a deal worth £30m.

Dewsbury-Hall’s arrival came after Maresca was appointed by Chelsea, just one of many new signings the Italian has welcomed and started to work with.

But when Maresca left Leicester to join Chelsea, the newly-promoted side were far from impressed with his decision. But why?

In a club statement reacting to the departure, Leicester said: ‘Given the promising foundations established during his single season in charge, the Club is disappointed that Enzo has decided at this stage that he no longer wants to be part of our vision.

‘However, with Enzo’s decision made and the Board’s terms for his departure met, we wish him well in his future endeavours. He leaves with the appreciation of everyone at the Club for his work in helping us to achieve an immediate return to the Premier League during the 2023/24 season.’

As things stand, Leicester’s loss is Chelsea’s gain. Maresca will be hoping his decision to join Chelsea will continue to be proved right as the months and potentially years pass, with the Blues hoping to return to winning honours on a consistent basis.