Chelsea vents out frustration as Man City appoint Enzo Maresca

Chelsea have released a sensational statement to lash out at Enzo Maresca following the the appointment of the Italian as new Manchester City coach.

Maresca has signed a three years deal at Man City to replace departing Pep Guardiola. Surprisingly, Chelsea released a scathing club statement that pointedly refused to even mention their former head coach by name.

In an official club statement released on Monday, the Blues hierarchy gave fans a detailed breakdown of the Italian’s departure without actually naming him.

“Chelsea FC appreciates the 2025/26 season was a hugely disappointing one for the club and its supporters. A major contributing factor was the disruption caused as a result of changes that the club was forced to make to the head coach position over the Christmas period,” the statement began. “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 January 1, 2026.”

Chelsea’s leadership claimed they were first made aware of the manager’s interest in the City job during the autumn, which they believe compromised the club’s campaign. The statement added: “In autumn last year, the club was informed by our former head coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola 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.

“In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.

“No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters and the badge and accept his resignation.”

Enzo Maresca walks on the pitch after during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Chelsea also confirmed a confidential settlement was reached with Manchester City and the coach himself, though reports suggest the compensation figure to be in the region of £17 million.

“In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation. A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former Head Coach under which he will pay compensation,” the club said.

Taking to social media to share his side of the story, Maresca admitted he was the driving force behind the exit. He said: “At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea.

“The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City.

“I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish.

“I was treated well by everyone at Chelsea and together we achieved great success and memories that I will always treasure. I am grateful to the club, the owners and the fans for giving me the opportunity.”