Enzo Maresca has put pen to paper on a long-term contract ahead of being confirmed as Chelsea’s new head coach.
The Italian moves to Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal, which includes a club-held option to extend by 12 months.
Maresca will be bringing six of his own staff — Willy Caballero, Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez, Javier Molina Caballero and Roberto Vitiello.
They will be integrated with Chelsea specialists such as Ben Roberts, Hilario and Bernardo Cueva.
An agreement between Chelsea and Leicester was also signed on Sunday, settling on compensation in the region of £10million.
Chelsea are said to be sensitive to the disruption caused to Leicester ahead of their return to the Premier League and appreciative of the class and professionalism they displayed throughout.
An announcement on Maresca’s appointment is expected on Monday and he will be presented to the media later in the week.
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Leicester City granted Chelsea permission to speak to the 44-year-old on Monday.
Maresca was appointed at Leicester last summer and guided them to the Championship title and automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The former Manchester City assistant also spent time on the coaching staff of Sevilla and West Ham United, before a short spell as Parma head coach in Italy’s second tier at the start of the 2021-22 season, where he sacked after only six wins in 14 games.
During a long playing career, Maresca played for clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Juventus, Fiorentina and Sevilla, before retiring in 2017.
Maresca becomes the sixth manager since the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-led takeover of the club in 2022.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September 2022, with his replacement Graham Potter also dismissed less than seven months later in April 2023. Bruno Saltor and then Frank Lampard both took charge of Chelsea on an interim basis, before Mauricio Pochettino was appointed ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Chelsea and Pochettino mutually agreed to part ways last week after the club finished sixth in the Premier League and secured a place in next season’s Europa Conference League.
(Warren Little/Getty Images)
