Enzo Maresca wins approval of Chelsea board by detailing his plans to help Enzo Fernandez thrive at Stamford Bridge: Reports
Chelsea are close to appointing Enzo Maresca as their new manager after he impressed them with his plans for the club. The Leicester City boss was clear about how he intends to help Enzo Fernandez play his best football at the club, a major dilemma in 2023-24.
Enzo Fernandez won the Best Young Player award at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as he helped Argentina win the title. This encouraged Chelsea to enter into a protracted negotiation with Benfica, eventually paying around £105 million to sign the midfielder.
Fernandez has shown flashes multiple times, but he has not yet turned out to be the world-beater Chelsea expected him to be when they smashed their transfer record to sign him. Enzo Maresca intends to put this right and signaled his intention to the Chelsea board about his tactical plan to get the best out of Enzo.
The Evening Standard reports that the board was impressed by this, and it made them all the more willing to commit to him. If he can get the best out of Enzo and Moises Caicedo in midfield, Maresca would have done a good job at the club.
Since he arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2023, the midfielder has been thrown into a variety of positions in the middle of the park. In his first half-season, he replaced Jorginho at the base of the midfield, playing as the deepest midfielder for the side.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, the 22-year-old played further forward and was tasked with arriving late in the opposition box to score goals. The final months of the season saw him struggle as he played through pain before eventually undergoing surgery in April.
Chelsea star makes Serbia squad for Euros
Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been named in the final Serbian squad for next month's European Championship in Germany. The 24-year-old was named in the 26-man squad that will face England, Slovenia, and Denmark in the group stage.
Petrovic moved to Stamford Bridge from MLS outfit New England Revolution last summer and had to watch patiently for much of the first half of the campaign. An injury to Robert Sanchez gave him a chance, and he hasn't looked back since then. He made 31 appearances across all competitions, keeping seven clean sheets while conceding 44 goals.
The goalkeeper became the latest Blue to be named in their national squad after Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, and Marc Cucurella. He will hope to add to his three caps for Serbia in the tournament.