Chelsea's Swift Reaction: Maresca's Departure Ruined Our Season

Immediately after Manchester City announced Enzo Maresca as their new head coach, his former club Chelsea released a statement, blaming him for the premature split between the two parties on New Year's Eve. They also attributed their unsuccessful campaign to the Italian specialist's departure.

“Chelsea acknowledges that the 2025/26 season was a huge disappointment for the club and its supporters. A major factor in this was the changes the club was forced to make regarding the coaching position over the Christmas holidays. Given recent developments, we deem it important to explain to our supporters what happened and why our former coach left the club on January 1, 2026. Last autumn, the club was informed by our former head coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season. It became clear to us that he had a strong desire to succeed Guardiola and was fully committed to pursuing this opportunity, despite being bound by a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate.

In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and suddenly resigned from his position. Naturally, we felt betrayed, as we believed his head and heart were focused on another club and opportunity, even though he had only joined Chelsea a year prior. No club wants to change its head coach mid-season. However, given his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities until the end of the season, the club had no choice but to protect its players, fans, and emblem by accepting his resignation. Given the circumstances and mutual respect between the clubs, a confidential agreement was reached with Manchester City, which included compensation. A confidential agreement was also concluded with our former head coach, under which he will pay compensation,” reads Chelsea's critical statement.

Maresca's response was swift, taking responsibility for his choice and offering his apologies. “The decision to leave was solely mine. My resignation from Chelsea paved the way for me to join Manchester City – a club I know well. I am excited to have moved to Manchester City. I realize that my departure from Chelsea caused disruption at the club, and I regret that. This was neither my intention nor my desire,” stated the Italian coach.