THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Chelsea blast Maresca over exit as City unveil Guardiola successor Chelsea publicly laid bare the circumstances surrounding Enzo Maresca's controversial departure on Monday, accusing their former head coach of losing focus after learning he c...

Chelsea blame Maresca for poor season after Man City appointment Chelsea have publicly blamed Enzo Maresca for their “hugely disappointing season” in an explosive statement moments after the former Blues boss was appointed as Manchester City manager . Maresca left Chelsea at the end of 2025 amid growing tensions between himself and the club hierarchy, with his exit followed by months of turmoil at Chelsea as the hasty appointment of Liam Rosenior backfired spectacularly. The club lost five in a row without scoring for the first time since 1912 under Rosenior, plummeting down the table before his eventual sacking, with that stark drop in performance seeing Chelsea finish 10th and miss out on Europe entirely. There was speculation that Maresca left Stamford Bridge to position himself as the potential successor to Pep Guardiola in the City dugout, and this has now been confirmed by the club who have not skirted around their belief that Maresca’s actions directly led to collapse of their season. open image in gallery Enzo Maresca is the new Man City manager ( PA ) Chelsea wrote in a statement: “In autumn last year, the club was informed by our former head coach [Maresca] that there mi…

Maresca, an acrimonious Chelsea exit and the tensions surrounding his ... Enzo Maresca left Chelsea in JanuaryGeorge Wood/Getty Images Chelsea’s first clash with Manchester City in the post-Pep Guardiola era, slated in the Premier League fixture list for December 12, promises to be spicy. The mere sight of Enzo Maresca in City colours will be triggering for some at his former club. Chelsea have moved onby appointing Xabi Alonso as manager, but the memory — not to mention the consequences, both sporting and financial — of a disastrous 2025-26 season will linger for some time, and the Italian’s acrimonious departure at the turn of the year is widely pinpointed as the start of the grand unravelling. Advertisement Note the fact that in their statement, timed to coincide with City’s announcement of Maresca’s arrival on Monday, Chelsea do not once refer to the Italian by name. “Due to recent developments, we consider that it is important to explain to our supporters what happened and why our former head coach left the club on 1 January 2026,” they said. “In autumn last year, the club was informed by our former head coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Gua…

Inside Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea exit: Rotation disagreements, Man City ... Change at Chelsea Maresca's time at Chelsea came to an end on New Year's DayIllustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images Additional reporting: Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, Pol Ballus, Liam Twomey and James Horncastle There was no emotional goodbye from Enzo Maresca in the Chelsea dressing room after the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Maresca would go on to not attend the post-match press conference — assistant Willy Caballero spoke on his behalf instead. Advertisement Sources speaking toThe Athletic, who, like all of those spoken to for this article, asked to do so under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, say the Italian got changed and left without saying a word to his players. Initial suggestions that he was ill were a smokescreen. People with knowledge of Maresca’s situation say he was determined to leave at that stage. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s patience had also run out following what took place after the final whistle. A club committed to a two-year review for Maresca was about to see that cut short.…

Chelsea release staggering Enzo Maresca statement, condemn "abrupt ... Chelsea release staggering Enzo Maresca statement, condemn "abrupt" exit after Manchester City move confirmed By Darren Plant | 29 Jun 2026 16:10 © Imago / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto Chelsea have released a lengthy statement to reveal that Enzo Maresca first expressed a desire to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City in "Autumn last year". After weeks of speculation, the Italian was finally confirmed as the Spaniard's successor at the Etihad Stadium on Monday afternoon. The delay has been a result of Chelsea's hierarchy pushing hard to receive substantial compensation for Maresca choosing to walk away from Stamford Bridge just 18 months into a five-year contract. A report last week suggested that Chelsea would be recouping in the region of £17m after lengthy discussions between the relevant parties. In a detailed statement, the West Londoners have now revealed the details behind the surprise exit of Maresca on New Year's Day . © Imago / Sports Press Photo Chelsea release Maresca statement, reveals details of Italian's Stamford Bridge exit It read: "Chelsea FC appreciates the 2025/26 season was a hugely dis…

Chelsea Call Out Enzo Maresca in Stunning Statement After He's ... By Joshua Waite Published Jun 29, 2026, 2:31 PM GMT+1 Joshua is a sports writer who made an important career change in early 2024 to follow his true passion. He runs his own football blog, PureBall, where he shares his thoughts and stories on the sport he has loved the longest. Writing has always been Josh's way of expressing his deep enthusiasm for sports, and this new path allows him to bring a fresh and honest perspective to his work. He also gains valuable experience as a volunteer match reporter for the Loughborough Foxes WFC. Covering live events has helped Josh improve his storytelling skills and given him a closer insight into the game. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Chelsea have issued a controversial statement explaining the circumstances behind Enzo Maresca's departure from the club, on the same day that Manchester City formally confirmed the Italian as Pep Guardiola's successor. The timing of the statement is unlikely to be coincidental, with Chelsea making their feelings very clear about how Maresca's exit was handled back in December, despite the two clubs reaching what's described as a mutual se…

Why we let Enzo Maresca go - Chelsea - blueprint.ng Spread the word Chelsea Football Club has broken its silence over the controversial departure of former head coach Enzo Maresca, revealing that the Italian tactician resigned midway through the 2025/26 season after making it clear that he wanted to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. In a detailed statement released on Monday, the Premier League club admitted that the 2025/26 campaign had been “hugely disappointing” and attributed much of the instability experienced during the season to the unexpected change in the managerial position during the Christmas period. Blueprint reports The Blues said they owed supporters an explanation following recent developments surrounding Maresca’s departure, insisting that the decision to part ways with the Italian coach was forced upon the club after he abruptly resigned on January 1, 2026. Chelsea breaks silence In the strongly worded statement, Chelsea said the club first became aware of Maresca’s intentions during the autumn of 2025 when he informed club executives that an opportunity could arise for him to replace Guardiola at Manchester City at the end of the season. According to the…

Chelsea Reveal Maresca Quit To Join Man City And Will Pay Compensation Chelsea have broken their silence over Enzo Maresca’s departure, revealing in a bombshell statement that their former head coach resigned in December 2025 because he wanted to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City — despite being under a long-term contract he had no right to terminate. In a statement posted to their official Instagram account, the club said they were first informed in Autumn 2025 that Maresca believed there might be an opportunity for him to take over at City at the end of the season. “It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate,” Chelsea said. The situation came to a head in December 2025 when Maresca resigned abruptly. Chelsea said they felt “let down,” adding: “We believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.” The club said they had no choice but to accept his resignation in order to “protect our players, our supporter…