Enzo Maresca can break Chelsea managerial record if he manages to last full 5 years
Chelsea appointed new manager Enzo Maresca after the sudden sack of Mauricio Pochettino only after his debut season at the Blues. Blues management has chosen a player they think can shatter the mould in contemporary football for the second time in two years.
Chelsea gave Pochettino’s successor a 5-year-long contract with the option to further extend it for a year. If the 44-year-old manager manages to last that long with the Blues it would be a record-breaking tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Dave Sexton was the last Chelsea manager to remain in charge for five years at Stamford Bridge. None of the co-owners, Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, or Jose Feliciano, had been born when he was appointed in 1967.
The concerns outside of Stamford Bridge, however, stem from the fact that their original pick for an ownership-defining leader, Graham Potter, only lasted less than seven months of his five-year contract.
Chelsea became fond of the former Leicester City boss, with his spell working under Pep Guardiola playing a key factor. The Blues think Maresca can follow in the footsteps of Mikel Arteta, who excelled at Arsenal after completing his own apprenticeship under Guardiola.
Arteta took some time, though, to unlock his true potential after adapting to Arsenal’s environment. During his first two seasons at the Gunners, his club finished eighth in the Premier League standings during 2019–20 and 2020–21.
It seems highly unlikely, though, that the Chelsea owners would be willing to give the 44-year-old enough time like Arteta to adapt to the club, given their past records with impatient sackings of the managers.
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Maresca’s survival would certainly be a tough deal given Pochettino’s struggles at the club. Pochettino knew the transfer strategies of the owners bringing in youngsters with long-term contracts would not be beneficial. Yet he couldn’t change the owners’ ideologies and became a victim.
It would be a big deal, though, if the 44-year-old managed to survive for 5 years. It will be interesting to see how the new boss sets up his squad and prepares them to face the upcoming challenges of the next season.