The development has angered a host of Chelsea fans, who feel the dismissal of the Argentinian was unnecessary following a strong finish to the season.
However, in a joint statement on Monday, Chelsea co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Paul Stewart said that the desire of the 44-year-old had been an important factor in his appointment.
“We are delighted to welcome Enzo to Chelsea” they said. “He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style.
“Enzo has deeply impressed us in our discussions leading up to his appointment. His ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club. We thoroughly look forward to working with him.”
Indeed, that ‘work ethic’ already appears evident. According to the Evening Standard, Maresca will provide every Chelsea player with online software so that they can analyse tactical information remotely this summer.
Maresca led Leicester to the Championship title in his first season in charge. (Image: Getty)
That includes players who will be permitted to report late for pre-season after being involved in Euro 2024. The ploy is designed to ensure all squad members are on the same page in training, as the Blues look to build not their sixth placed finish in 2023/24.
The development follows reports that Maresca has already requested performance analysis on all players at the squad. He has also asked for data on the youth and academy teams as well as the senior team.
But while his stint at Stamford Bridge will be just his third as a full time manager, having worked at Parma before his move to Leicester, Maresca has worked in England before. He coached at academy level at Manchester City and also served on Manuel Pellegrini’s coaching staff at West Ham.
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And former Hammer Robert Snodgrass recently hailed his approach, saying: "What I loved about him at West Ham was he took the time to work with players and improve them. He’ll identify areas in certain players’ game, work on it, make them better and that in turn will help the team.
“He will educate those lads on a different style, a different process. The players had no doubt he would develop into one of the best coaches around. When I think of what I learned from him, he really opened up my mind."
