“For me, it’s an underwhelming appointment” - Ex-Liverpool star makes worrying prediction about Enzo Maresca at Chelsea
Stan Collymore believes Chelsea have made a mistake by reportedly appointing Enzo Maresca as their new manager. He said that the players are too young, which will put the manager under pressure by December, and there will be reports of sacking.
In his CaughtOffside column, Collymore wrote that the Blues will be hunting for another manager by November or December as Maresca will not be able to deliver from the get-go. He added that the players at Stamford Bridge are young and fickle, and the appointment of the new boss is underwhelming. He wrote:
"I would be absolutely astounded if, when we get to Christmas, there aren't rumblings about Maresca's position already being under threat because it's a young, fickle, rookie group.
"For me, it's an underwhelming appointment. The club should have stuck with Poch (Mauricio Pochettino), and I get the feeling that come November/December time, we'll be having another conversation about Chelsea changing their manager again."
Reports suggest the Blues are set to appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino. The Italian is set to be handed a five-year deal by the Blues once he completes his move from Leicester City.
Journalist claims there's 'no chance' Enzo Maresca sees out his contract at Chelsea
Dean Jones told GiveMeSport this week that Chelsea were handing Enzo Maresca a five-year contract to show their support. However, he doesn't think the Italian will last that long at Stamford Bridge:
"He might be given a five-year contract but no Chełsea manager lasts five years, so there is pretty much no chance he does either. What I think this contract does though is it sets out with intent to give the boss belief that he is going to be given time to get this right."
He added:
"If Chelsea are talking about structures and philosophies, then obviously you need to give that time. But patience in football is not something we often see. They've tried it before with Potter, and it just became too difficult to stick with him. So let's see how they do this time around."
Enzo Maresca is set to be the third permanent managerial appointment at Stamford Bridge since the current owners came in. The first two - Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino - didn't see out their contracts and were let go.