This week has been somewhat of a whirlwind at Chelsea football club, with Mauricio Pochettino’s exit kickstarting the mayhem.
After finishing sixth in the Premier League and losing in the EFL Cup final, the Argentine failed to impress Todd Boehly.
The Blues are now in a position where they will look to appoint a new boss rather swiftly, with over ten managers already linked with the club.
However, it seems that they’ve now finally decreased their shortlist as they look to sign a boss who could make Enzo Fernandes world-class.
Chelsea’s search for a Pochettino replacement
The list of potential Chelsea managers seems to be getting longer as the days pass, but there are clearly two targets who have been mentioned the most.
Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town is one of them, and he’s set to be at the centre of a three-way battle between Manchester United, the Blues, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
But it’s the boss who went unbeaten against him this season – the teams drawing twice – and pipped him to the Championship title that’s emerging as the favourite, Enzo Maresca.
According to The Guardian, Chelsea are currently in talks to begin contact with the Italian, who has an £8.5m release clause and is interested in the role at Stamford Bridge.
How Maresca could transform Enzo Fernandez
Leicester City’s return to the Premier League was a fantastic achievement after losing plenty of key players, but to do it in the fashion that they did is simply unbelievable.
The players deserve plenty of credit for their role in the success, but the majority of the plaudits must go to Maresca, who truly transformed the club and has been dubbed as "incredible" by midfielder Harry Winks.
To put into perspective just how dominant the Foxes were, they scored the second most goals in the division, conceded the fewest, and boasted an average possession of 62%.
Wins
31
18
Defeats
11
11
Goals scored
89
77
Goals conceded
41
63
Clean sheets
15
8
Possession
62%
58.9%
Each individual flourished in the Italian’s setup, but one player who truly starred was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the driving force in the middle of the park.
The England international excelled as the left-sided central midfielder, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists, and Boehly will hope that Maresca can inspire Fernandez to follow a similar trajectory.
The Argentine joined Chelsea for a huge £107m fee in January last year, and unfortunately, he’s not really lived up to expectations this season.
Fernandez started 26 matches during the campaign, scoring three goals and providing two assists, but in a new role that promises attacking freedom, he could finally reach his potential.
The former Benfica ace is the definition of a technical ace, boasting 1.1 key passes, 79.2 touches, and 55.7 passes per game, while he’s also a threat in the final third, taking 1.7 shots per match.
Those statistics indicate that he would be best suited to a role similar to Dewsbury-Hall's; their profile is rather alike in regards to the fact that they can influence the game at both ends of the field. The clip below shows the kind of position that Fernandez would find himself in far more often under the Foxes coach.
Additionally, Maresca's extreme possession-based style would highlight Fernandez's strengths while also hiding his weaknesses, which is a sign of a top manager.
Overall, the Italian would be a great choice as the next Chelsea boss, and if he can transform the Blues players like he did at Leicester, he could quickly become a favourite amongst the fans and the squad.
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