Will Maresca get time to succeed at Chelsea?
- Published
If Enzo Maresca becomes Chelsea manager, he is likely to be afforded time as long as he produces a "base-level performance" and does not "rock the boat" too much with the club's hierarchy, says 麻豆社 Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella.
Leicester City boss Maresca, who led the Foxes to the Championship title in 2023-24, is in talks to succeed Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino left last week after one season at Stamford Bridge, while Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard all had spells in charge during the previous campaign.
Kinsella told 麻豆社 Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club: "They've always said they want to give people time and then they never do. There is that intention to be patient with him and give him a chance to bed in, but he'll have to get on with everyone and not rock the boat.
"Pochettino was maybe rocking the boat a little bit too much. We talked about the relationship with the owners and the structure - [sporting directors] Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart wanted to retain control. That's going to be key. He's going to have to do a base-level performance to get time and then also not rock the boat. He's got two things that he needs to try to convince with.
"Pochettino actually fell short of expectations. They wanted the top four last season - they might have accepted the Europa League and they ended up in the Europa Conference League. He's going to have to try to push towards that Champions League finish. A lot of people might think that is very difficult, but it certainly is going to be the aim next season, especially having spent so much - we can't forget that, and that the owners are ambitious.
"It's starting to emerge that there's a five-year deal on the table so maybe that's a bit of an indicator. It's going back to a Graham Potter approach almost. They wanted Potter to be the man to build with, and now let's have Maresca - he's going to build and turn us into a great club."
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