Chelsea are advancing on the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new head coach, with the Leicester boss now in prime position to succeed Mauricio Pochettino, Sky Sports reports.
The London club is said to be impressed by the depth of his knowledge about their squad and single-minded focus on the way Chelsea want to play and his desire for the job.
The Blues hierarchy also admire Maresca’s obsession with possession based football and have made him the leading candidate.
He is now their preferred choice to replace Mauricio Pochettino, and Chelsea have asked Leicester City for permission to speak with the 44-year-old.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol, said “I think we should expect a decision this week. Chelsea want this sorted out by the start of June”.
“Eghbali has been in London for a long time and was at the FA Cup final on Saturday. He’s due to leave London pretty soon, but I expect a decision this week.”
“Chelsea have had a very thorough process with Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi all considered but they feel Maresca is the one for them.
“The others were all very impressive candidates, but Chelsea feel at this moment in time that Maresca is the man for them, and he shares their vision for the future.
“He’s only been a manager for one-and-a-half seasons. He was a manager at Parma in the Italian second division and then he got the Leicester job.
“You have to remember that Mikel Arteta didn’t have any prior experience of having managed in the Premier League before joining Arsenal, but he had worked under Pep Guardiola which is exactly the same as Maresca.
“I’m not saying he’s a better manager than Arteta, but he has more experience than he did when he took over at Arsenal.
“I’ve been told that his knowledge of the Chelsea squad, including the youth team players is encyclopaedic,” Kaveh Solhekol further stated.
It is also reported that the new Chelsea head coach will sign a longer contract than the two-year deal Pochettino accepted last summer, before he left the club by mutual consent last week.
Chelsea are willing to pay a compensation fee of around £10m and an appointment could be made in the next few days if and when an agreement is reached with Leicester over the compensation.
The Blues are expected to be busy in the summer transfer market with key signings in the position of a new No 9 and centre-back, while the futures of high-earners such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga would be resolved.
It is also reported that the new Chelsea head coach will sign a longer contract than the two-year deal Pochettino accepted last summer, before he left the club by mutual consent last week.
Chelsea are willing to pay a compensation fee of around £10m and an appointment could be made in the next few days if and when an agreement is reached with Leicester over the compensation.
The Blues are expected to be busy in the summer transfer market with key signings in the position of a new No 9 and centre-back, while the futures of high-earners such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga would be resolved.
