Next Chelsea Manager Odds: After Enzo Maresca

Next Permanent Chelsea Manager Betting

Even when things are going well for Chelsea, it often feels like a crisis is just around the corner.

New Blues boss Enzo Maresca has made a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge since his appointment in the summer of 2024, but the honeymoon period never lasts too long at Chelsea.

Maresca signed a five-year contract when he joined Chelsea from Leicester City, with the deal also having the option to be extended for a further 12 months. But such a long contract feels ambitious given the regular turnover of coaches at Chelsea, whose board shows little patience.

Talk of a rift between the club's owners is also likely to be bad news for Maresca in the long run, with the Italian seeking to become the first Blues boss to last over a year since Thomas Tuchel.

Patience in Short Supply at Chelsea

Few clubs give their managers a lot of time these days, but that is especially true at Chelsea.

Their last boss, Mauricio Pochettino, lasted a single season in charge at Stamford Bridge, becoming the latest to be packing up his office not long after getting his feet under the table.

Antonio Conte, who was Chelsea boss between 2016 and 2018, was the last manager to see out at least two complete seasons. Despite winning the Premier League and the FA Cup at the club, he was shown the door and they have struggled to live up to that brief period of success.

Jose Mourinho, Frank Lampard and Guus Hiddink have all had two bites of the Chelsea cherry. That the club has repeatedly had to go back to their former managers is a sure sign of the high turnover of coaches at Chelsea over the years, but that did not stop Maresca taking the job.

"To join Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any coach," he said. "It is why I am so excited by this opportunity." Maresca became the sixth managerial appointment to have been made by Chelsea in five years and the fourth to be appointed by owner Todd Boehly.

How has Maresca Started at Stamford Bridge?

Having played for West Bromwich Albion right at the start of his career, Maresca will have had some knowledge of English football before he was appointed by Leicester. Previously manager of the Elite Development Squad at Manchester City and an assistant to Pep Guardiola, Maresca led the Foxes back to the Premier League at the first attempt, despite the club's financial issues.

That gave him a shot at the big time with Chelsea, who again spent very heavily in the transfer window, bringing in new faces including the midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester.

New forwards Pedro Neto and Joao Felix cost around the club £100 million between them, with some other big fees spent on the likes of Omari Kellyman, Filip Jorgensen and Estevao Willian.

Chelsea struggled in pre-season as Maresca's methods took hold, but battering Wolves and West Ham showed their attacking potency in the early weeks of the Premier League campaign. Chelsea ended September on a run of four straight wins in all competitions, indicating a fine start for Maresca, though balancing European and domestic competitions will be a challenge.

But, as we touched on, Chelsea have become famous for regular managerial sackings, so let's take a look at some of the possible top contenders to be named as the next Chelsea manager.