Leicester City eye surprise move for former Chelsea manager as Enzo Maresca replacement - Reports
Leicester City are reportedly contemplating snapping up former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, with their current manager Enzo Maresca all set to leave. Maresca is widely reported to move to Stamford Bridge.
Maresca enjoyed a fabulous debut season at the King Power Stadium, taking the Foxes straight back to the Premier League by winning the Championship. However, the Italian is set to replace Mauricio Pochettino at the Blues, with the Argentinian leaving by mutual consent despite returning the club back to Europe by finishing a creditable sixth.
The Blues produced a strong finish to the season - winning the last five games - to initially qualify for the UEFA Europa League. Manchester United's FA Cup win, though, meant they dropped to the UEFA Conference League, but they will have a new boss in charge.
Maresca's name has been doing the rounds as a possible replacement for Pochettino. Metro (via Football Italia) has reported that Leicester are contemplating replacing Maresca with former Chelsea boss Sarri, who got the sack at Lazio in March after a run of four straight defeats and European elimination. However, Sarri is apparently not too keen on a Premier League return.
While Sarri is more keen to stay in Serie A, amidst interest from Bologna and Fiorentina, Leicester also have other options. The likes of Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, West Ham United's Carlos Corberan and former PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy are some of them.
How did Chelsea-target Enzo Maresca fared at Leicester City?
Back in the second division for the first time after a decade in the Premier League, Leicester City produced a season to remember. Under Enzo Maresca, the Foxes were back in the top flight on their first attempt.
Leicester won 31 of their 46 games to finish a point ahead of Ipswich Town, although they did lose 11 times. The Foxes, though, had the meanest defence in the league, conceding 41 times.
Seven of their losses came in the final 14 games, including a final-day 2-0 home loss to Blackburn Rovers, but they had already sealed their Championship win by then. The Foxes also reached the FA Cup quarterfinals, losing 4-2 at Chelsea.
Overall, Maresca ended his first season in charge of the Foxes with aa 36-13 record across 53 games across competitions.