Enzo Maresca breaks silence after explosive Chelsea exit

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Jan 2026 14:10 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Enzo Maresca has broken his silence on social media for the first time since his explosive departure from Chelsea.

The Italian walked away from the Stamford Bridge job on 1 January amid growing tension behind the scenes. While Maresca ultimately parted ways with Chelsea by mutual consent, the club was also ready to fire him as they felt his position had become untenable.

Things came to a head following a midweek draw with Bournemouth. FootballTransfers revealed that an altercation between Maresca and a senior figure at Chelsea took place in the immediate aftermath of the game, which resulted in the coach skipping his media duties and deciding to leave.

The two parties had various misgivings, with Maresca feeling boxed in by the club's leadership structure, while his higher-ups were unhappy with recent results, his disagreements with the medical staff and his talks with Man City over succeeding Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea have acted fast to replace the 45-year-old, announcing earlier on Tuesday that Liam Rosenior has arrived after 18 successful months at BlueCo sister club Strasbourg. This has, once again, caused outrage among the most vocal sections of the Ligue 1 club's fanbase.

Maresca breaks silence

As for Maresca, it is currently unclear what the future holds. Man City and Juventus admire him, but there is no guarantee that either job will become available this summer.

Maresca has also been the subject of recent links with Man Utd following the departure of Ruben Amorim in similar circumstances to his exit from Chelsea. The Italian is said to be interested in the job, but it is not thought that the Red Devils will make a permanent hire imminently.

For now, Maresca is taking some time away from the game, and he has now broken his silence with a short message on his Instagram account. "'Leave this world a little better than you found it,'" his statement began.

"My journey with Chelsea began with the preliminary rounds of the Conference League. I leave with the inner peace of leaving a prestigious club like Chelsea where it deserves to be.

"I want to thank all the Chelsea fans for their support over the last 18 months. Support that was crucial to achieving Champions League qualification, winning the Conference League, and winning the Club World Cup.

"Victories that I will always hold in my heart! A special thank you to all the players who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey.

"I wish everyone who has shared every moment with me every success in this second half of the season and in the future. Thank you, Chelsea, from me and my family."

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