Enzo Maresca has officially departed from his role as Chelsea head coach after an 18-month tenure at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League club announced Thursday. The Italian's exit, which comes amidst a challenging period for the club, sees Chelsea positioned fifth in the Premier League table, trailing leaders Arsenal by 15 points, and having secured only one victory in their last seven top-flight matches.

According to a club statement, "Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted company." The decision was made with "key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football," indicating that "Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track." This departure marks Chelsea's search for their fourth permanent manager since the club's acquisition by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in May 2022.

Despite his recent struggles, Maresca's time at Chelsea was not without success. During his tenure, he guided Chelsea to victories in the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup. He also notably led the club to a top-four Premier League finish last season, securing their qualification for Champions League football. These achievements had initially delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge, including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and co-owner Behdad Eghbali.

However, the relationship between Maresca and the club's hierarchy reportedly soured in the months leading up to his departure. Friction became evident following Maresca's controversial comments on December 13, when he stated that many people at Chelsea were not supporting him or the team. He further described the days leading up to a 2-0 victory over Everton as "the worst 48 hours" of his time at Chelsea, comments made without prior warning to club staff or senior management, who would have preferred such discussions to remain private.

Maresca's growing disillusionment was also highlighted by his absence from the post-match press conference following a frantic 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday, December 30. While officially attributed to illness by assistant manager Willy Caballero, it was widely understood that his absence was more due to his unhappiness at the club. This particular match saw Maresca booed by fans for substituting Cole Palmer after 63 minutes, with some supporters chanting, "You don’t know what you’re doing." Chelsea's performance in that game, leading but ultimately drawing, contributed to their league-high 15 points dropped from winning positions this season.

Further factors contributing to the breakdown included Maresca's attempts to raise his profile outside the club, such as planning to publish a book (which was blocked) and speaking at Il Festival dello Sport without club permission. He also publicly disagreed with the club's decision not to sign a central defender after Levi Colwill's pre-season injury, although he eventually backed down after the hierarchy explained it could prompt academy prospect Josh Acheampong to request a transfer. Maresca's switch of agents from Wasserman to Jorge Mendes, and his increasing preference for his own clothing over club tracksuits, were also noted as signs of growing distance.

From Maresca's perspective, he believed the pressure on him was unfair given what he felt were difficult working conditions, and he perceived attempts to influence his team selection. He also felt that supporters' expectations needed to be managed, especially considering the young squad and key injuries to players like Colwill and attacker Cole Palmer. Despite Chelsea's initial intent to assess his position at the end of the season if results improved, Maresca's visible unhappiness ultimately accelerated the decision for the mutual parting of ways.

The club's recent form saw them take only six points from six games in December, sliding from potential title contention to fifth place, closer to Nottingham Forest in 17th than Arsenal in first. January is poised to be a hectic month for Chelsea, with nine games scheduled, including challenging fixtures against Manchester City this Sunday, as well as Arsenal and Napoli later in the month. Speculation had also linked Maresca with a potential move to Manchester City as a successor to Pep Guardiola, a possibility he had previously dismissed.

Chelsea are now expected to appoint a new head coach in the coming days, with Liam Rosenior, currently managing Strasbourg (a club owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s BlueCo group), among the leading candidates.