𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: Chelsea and Enzo Maresca have parted company. 🤝

🗣️ The official statement read:

“During his time at the Club, Enzo led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Those achievements will remain an important part of the Club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the Club.

“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the Club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.

“We wish Enzo well for the future.”

[chelseafc]

Enzo Maresca’s stats as Chelsea head coach:

— 92 games
— 55 wins
— 16 draws
— 21 defeats

🏆 Conference League
🏆 Club World Cup

#CFC #Chelsea #ChelseaFC

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Liam Rosenior is the LEADING CANDIDATE to become Chelsea's new manager. –

Names like Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi are 'unlikely' options.

— SkyKaveh

Chelsea Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane is set to be in charge for Chelsea vs Manchester City and is expected to hold his pre-Man City press conference from 1pm [UK] on Friday.

[Various]

#CFC #Chelsea

Happy birthday, Loic Remy. 🥳

🗣️ Interim head coach Calum McFarlane ahead of Manchester City [A] in the Premier League:

😅 “It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but it’s also been really enjoyable and exciting. I can only be positive about it.

“We don’t know what the future beyond this game is but right now, the brief is just to prepare the lads for Man City on Sunday. That’s all I’m focused on.

“We will go there looking to give a good account of ourselves and trying to obtain a good result. That’s the brief and that’s what we are working on.

“Of course, we know will be facing a good team, in good form and led by a great manager. But we have good players too and we will be going into the game being as positive as possible.”

💪 𝐎𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝:

“Training was really good today. There was a really good energy. The lads have been brilliant. The staff at the club have been brilliant. You can’t ask for any more.“

😅 𝐎𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐩 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡:

“Ultimately, it’s a football match. It’s not really about me or my first game or playing against Pep. It’s about Chelsea versus City. Two top sides. We’ll go there and compete. We’ve seen this year how this team can do in big moments. We’re really looking forward to that challenge.”

🤝 𝐎𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞:

“From the Under-21 staff we have myself, Andy Ross and James Simmodns who are my assistants with the Under-21s. We also have Adam Keith, who’s the analyst with the Under-21s as well. Bernardo [Cueva] is still here, the set-piece coach. That will be the main part of our technical team for Sunday.”

🏥 𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐂𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡:

“With Marc it is positive [that he’s back training] and we will see with him.

“We’re undecided on that [whether he will play], I don’t have the full information on him as of yet.

“Otherwise we don’t have any other updates on players at the moment.“

(Via Chelsea FC & bobbyvincent - Football London)

🔎 Inside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea exit - via The Athletic - part 1/4:

There was no emotional goodbye from Enzo Maresca in the Chelsea dressing room after the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

The Italian got changed and left without saying a word to his players.

Initial suggestions that he was ill were a smokescreen. People with knowledge of Maresca’s situation say he was determined to leave at that stage. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s patience had also run out following what took place after the final whistle.

The Chelsea players were unaware of what was going on but knew something might be afoot on their journey home from Stamford Bridge. They received a message that a scheduled recovery session on Wednesday, which was to be followed by a day off, was suddenly being changed to two days off.

Talks took place on New Year’s Eve between Maresca’s agent Jorge Mendes and Chelsea over his departure instead. Some sources have said that Maresca resigned; other people at the club say the decision was taken by them.

The only thing to resolve now that he has left, with three and a half years left on his contract, was the level of compensation. It’s understood his deal will not be paid up in full and the settlement will not have a negative financial impact on the club.

Chelsea had given Maresca two votes of confidence before things went sour. One of those occasions was in the days after the 2-1 defeat at Atalanta on December 9, when he was assured his job was not at risk after he had conveyed concerns about what would happen if they lost their next match to Everton.

There had been some outbursts which did not go down well during his tenure. Just one example of this was talking about the club needing to buy a central defender following Levi Colwill’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in August.

While Maresca was consulted on transfers, his job was primarily to take charge of the team. He was told to use the several defenders he had.

Sources say this was a cause of angst between both parties for a while, although it dissipated. People with knowledge of Chelsea’s actions add that they did look for another defender but could not find a suitable candidate.

🔎 Inside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea exit - via The Athletic - part 2/4:

Maresca had a very likeable personality at the training ground, which made him popular with a lot of the players.

Maresca demonstrated this in a light-hearted exchange before one press conference in August, away from the cameras. After getting out of his car with one of his sons, he was asked if the young man in question was a new signing. Maresca replied, “He is our new centre-back”.

Moments later, with the media briefing now underway, he was back in serious mode and making it clear a solution to Colwill’s prolonged absence would be found internally.

On his post-Everton comments:

People close to Maresca say his outburst was a reaction to the constant recommendations made by the medical department over the minutes players should play.

This was part of the medical department’s remit to help protect players with a history of injury or those coming back from injury to try and help them avoid any setbacks.

They would sit down with Maresca two days before every game to detail where every individual was at.

Earlier in the season, people at Chelsea said he had been doing a great job in terms of rotating the squad in general.

However, Chelsea sources say he went on to ignore instructions regarding the medical department’s recommendations on an individual’s playing time on more than one occasion. They say that the key issue was that players returning from injury were given a set number of minutes that they could play, and that players were on board.

However, Maresca would go beyond this amount, which would then mean the medical team would recommend different training for the next few days, and then the minutes set by the medical department for their next appearance would change.

Playing Reece James for the full 90 minutes for three games in a row in December (Bournemouth, Atalanta, Everton), which was the first time he had done that for two years due to hamstring issues, was one of the bones of contention.

It’s undesrstood Maresca was very concerned about the health of all Chelsea’s players, but that the recommendations by the medical department were a big part of why he wanted to leave.

🔎 Inside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea exit - via The Athletic - part 3/4:

People with knowledge of Chelsea’s perspective say his reluctance or lack of trust to play some of the young players was cause for alarm. Just as an example, Andrey Santos, 21, Jorrel Hato, 19, and Josh Acheampong, 19, have started just 11 league games between them this season. Estevao, 18, has been one of the main positives, but has been in the first XI only 11 times in 28 matches.

People close to Maresca say he played them when it was relevant to show his trust in the young players — and that the impact medical department policy had on his selection decisions became a breaking point for him, especially as he faced all the criticism when results went awry.

Sources close to Maresca also claim that influence on selection was not just about workload, but that he was also told to use players to maintain their transfer value. Chelsea sources deny this is the case, but say any comments regarding selection came from the guidance provided by the medical department.

Maresca was encouraged to rotate the team to ensure freshness for the end of the season, as well as a general desire to develop and improve players. But he would select the team.

He was not happy about a lack of public backing from the club for his work. Chelsea felt their actions since he took over, including the conversations held with him, demonstrated that this should not have been the case.

Maresca would often speak to at least some members of the hierarchy after every game. The chats in the dressing room were normal and took place whatever the result. Club sources say the practice is about showing everyone, including the players, support, and not a case of grilling Maresca about what had just taken place.

Maresca had informed Chelsea that he was talking to people associated with Manchester City about his candidacy for the managerial position in the event of it opening in the future.

Maresca was contractually obliged to do so regarding dialogue with any other club. Sources say Juventus also made an approach.

Sources close to Maresca insist he made it clear that he had no intention of leaving and was happy to renew his deal.

🔎 Inside Enzo Maresca’s exit - via The Athletic - part 4/4:

The admission of being approached by other teams, combined with the bad form and that Everton press conference, raised doubts at Stamford Bridge over Maresca’s focus.

The noise around Maresca was only growing. With Chelsea still competing on all fronts, they have nine games in all four competitions this month. It was felt to be better to part ways now in order to improve their form.

Maresca was appreciated for the job he did in finishing fourth in the Premier League last season, plus winning the Conference League and Club World Cup. Yet Chelsea sources were wary of the success going to his head a little when it was deemed the work of the collective rather than any one individual. People close to Maresca insist his attitude remained the same.

Some insiders described him as having an arrogant demeanour, but many of the players enjoyed working and playing under him. Multiple sources say that whatever issues he had with the club were not taken into the dressing room.

One source had been told by a senior player how Maresca was seen as giving stability to the club and a major factor in how they were able to compete against the best sides in matches. But now Maresca has gone, they fear the team has gone back to square one and that his departure will have a major impact on the dressing room.

The source says the player believes it sends a message that it will be difficult for Chelsea to contend for trophies on a regular basis if this regular change in the dugout approach continues.

Sources close to other players say that Maresca made earning a place in the side too difficult. Certain players did not know how to earn his tactical trust.

Another source close to squad members spoke about how some of the players were frustrated about Maresca’s rotation and how it meant they struggled to get into a rhythm.

One source close to another senior player believed that some of Maresca’s actions since winning the Club World Cup were those of a man wanting to be seen more like one of his biggest idols in Guardiola, and have more influence, even though he knew from day one how the Chelsea structure operated.

Chelsea fans are planning a protest against co-owner Behdad Eghbali and the wider club hierachy, arguing they have “failed to meet the standards” required.

The protest proposals come one day after the departure of head coach Enzo Maresca.

The protest has been planned by a fan group titled ‘Not a Project CFC’ and is scheduled to take place from 1pm before the Premier League fixture against Brentford at Stamford Bridge on January 17.

In a statement posted on X, the group argue that since the takeover by a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, of which Eghbali is the most visible and actively engaged member, in May 2022, the club has been “run less like an elite club and more like a player trading farm focused on churn, speculation, and long-term potential at the expense of present day competitiveness”.

The supporter group acknowledged the ambition demonstrated by Chelsea’s transfer outlay, having spent £284million during the 2025 summer transfer window, but argued the club “prioritised long-term potential while sacrificing the present”.

The supporter group statement alleges that the responsibility for the club’s direction lies with the club’s sporting leadership structure, naming Eghbali alongside sporting directors Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields and Sam Jewell.

The statement concludes by listing six demands: “clear accountability”, “end micromanagement culture”, “flexibility over volume” in regards to recruitment, “board stability”, “proper management support” and “championship ambition”.

[Simon Johnson - The Athletic]

#CFC

🚨🔵 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 | Barring anything extraordinary, Liam Rosenior will become the new manager of Chelsea! Talks are advanced and progressing well, but nothing fully done yet. It could fall through still, reports Plettigoal. ✅

A Sunday blockbuster. 🍿

2️⃣0️⃣ today! 🎂

We hope you have a brilliant day, Marc. 🎊

Our 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 lineup for today’s match against @Manchester_City [A] in the Premier League.

✍️ by vigannpireva

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬:

— Moises Caicedo will serve his one-match suspension following his 5th yellow card of the season against Bournemouth.

— Marc Cucurella has returned to training and will undergo a late fitness test.

— Romeo Lavia remains out due to a quad injury.

— Levi Colwill is out with a long-term injury.

— Dario Essugo remains unavailable after an injury setback in training.

Feel free to leave your thoughts. 🔵⬇️

#CFC

Tonight’s team news! 🔵

Robert Sanchez set to MISS the match with small issue + Fofana woke up with a fever. (kierangill)

🚨✈️ Liam Rosenior has left France and is on his way to London!

(Direct__Racing) #CFC