Enzo Maresca on 'thin ice' as Chelsea identify Italian's replacement

Cameron Smith

• 30 Oct 2025 09:57 CDT
• 3 min read

Nieuws

Chelsea are reportedly “making plans” to appoint Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola as their new head coach amid speculation surrounding Enzo Maresca’s long-term future at the club.

Maresca, 45, enjoyed a successful first campaign at Stamford Bridge, guiding the Blues to Europa Conference League and Club World Cup glory, in addition to qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2022/23.

However, he remains under pressure in west London and an indifferent start to the new season has resulted in rumours that he could be sacked.

Maresca has been tipped to return to Juventus in a managerial capacity in the future, having played for the Serie A giants in the early 2000s, although The Daily Mail have confirmed that he will not be appointed as their permanent replacement for Igor Tudor following his sacking this week.

Despite this, Chelsea are still considering firing Maresca, according to transfer reporter IndyKaila.

He posted on X: “We understand Chelsea are making plans to bring Andoni Iraola to the club in the near future. They believe Andoni Iraola will become one of the leading managers in world football.

“Enzo Maresca is on thin ice with certain Chelsea officials according to sources.”

Chelsea to sack Enzo Maresca?

Maresca has only lost 18 of his 78 matches in charge of Chelsea, following his arrival from Leicester City last summer, and his win percentage of 62.8% is better than the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti.

Iraola, on the other hand, has enjoyed a stellar stint at Bournemouth since his appointment in 2023. He guided the Cherries to their best ever points tally in the Premier League during his debut season (48), while he bettered that tally in 2024-25 as they finished in ninth place with 56 points.

They are currently second in the Premier League table, having picked up five wins, three draws and only one defeat from their opening nine fixtures.

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