Chelsea Manager has been SACKED with immidiate effect after Clash with Club owner

Chelsea’s leadership team moved swiftly to put their 2026 New Year’s resolutions into action.

The lingering echoes of New Year’s Eve fireworks had barely faded into the night when the club officially announced their separation from manager Enzo Maresca. Despite his impressive achievement of securing two trophies throughout 2025 and successfully navigating the Blues back into the Premier League’s top four positions, Chelsea’s hierarchy felt it imperative to “refocus the campaign” by bringing his 18-month reign to an abrupt and unexpected conclusion.

For all the decisiveness and forward-thinking nature of this dramatic decision, the timing couldn’t be more challenging given the relentless festive fixture schedule. In a somewhat fitting twist of fate, Chelsea’s social media announcement confirming Maresca’s departure appeared shortly after they had published details of the nine matches compressed into January alone.

This grueling sequence of fixtures commences with Sunday’s crucial encounter at Manchester City, who remain firmly in the title race. Given Maresca’s well-documented connections to the Etihad club—with multiple reports indicating they’ve been quietly sounding him out as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola—there’s a fascinating undercurrent to what was already guaranteed to be a high-profile fixture.

Now that Maresca finds himself potentially on course to occupy the home dugout at the Etihad this weekend, Chelsea face an urgent question: who will be orchestrating their gameplan?

Chelsea’s carefully worded statement announcing Maresca’s departure characterized the split as mutually agreed. “Both Enzo and the club share the conviction that this change offers the squad the strongest possible chance of getting the season back on course,” the announcement explained. However, the concise 99-word statement notably failed to address any succession planning whatsoever.

The future of Maresca’s entire backroom staff hangs in the balance. When the former Leicester City manager arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2024, he brought a carefully selected team of six assistants with him. Ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero represents the most recognizable figure within this coaching group and has regularly deputized for Maresca during his various touchline bans. Just this week, Caballero stepped in to address journalists on behalf of his manager after Maresca reported feeling under the weather.

However, should Chelsea’s leadership opt for a comprehensive fresh start, they may be tempted to temporarily elevate U21 coach Calum McFarlane. The 40-year-old tactician only joined the club last July after spending two productive years working with Southampton’s youth teams. In an ironic twist, McFarlane also has Manchester City’s academy on his CV, where he worked alongside Maresca during the latter’s single season managing the U23 squad in 2020–21.

When Might Chelsea Finalize a Permanent Replacement for Enzo Maresca?

Liam Rosenior already works within the BlueCo football family. The process of identifying a permanent managerial successor has already begun in earnest. Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has reported that the club’s hierarchy are increasingly confident of securing Maresca’s replacement within a matter of days rather than weeks. Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior featured prominently in that report and has been consistently touted as the frontrunner, largely due to the French club’s position as Chelsea’s sister organization within the BlueCo network.

Bournemouth’s highly-rated Andoni Iraola—who will become available when his contract expires this summer—has also emerged as a serious possibility, alongside high-profile names like Xavi Hernández and former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas. Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner initially appeared to be among the shortlist of candidates, but The Athletic has since clarified that the Austrian coach “is not being considered” for the role.

Whatever direction the search ultimately takes, it remains highly improbable that any permanent appointment will be confirmed before Sunday’s challenging trip to the Etihad Stadium.