Enzo Maresca has promised Chelsea fans he will be at the club next season and says there is still a lot he wants to achieve at Stamford Bridge.
The Athletic revealed on Thursday that Maresca is high among the candidates Manchester City are considering in case Pep Guardiola exits the club next summer.
Maresca’s Chelsea future was already under scrutiny when, following the 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday, he said that the previous 48 hours had been the worst of his tenure.
Chelsea fans showed their backing for him by chanting his name at the team’s Carabao Cup win at Cardiff City in midweek.
When asked during Friday’s press conference if he can guarantee he will be at Chelsea next season, Maresca replied: “Yes, absolutely. I have a contract until 2029 (club has option to extend until 2030).
“It (Manchester City interest) doesn’t affect me at all because that is 100 per cent speculation. And in this moment, there is no time for these kinds of things.
“My focus is just about this club and I’m very proud to be here. But again, it’s speculation. One week ago, I was (linked with a job) in Italy with Juventus. So I don’t pay attention because I know that it’s not true. If we continue to talk about that, that means that I’m paying attention to that.
“Now, it’s important to understand the reason why this news was there. But it’s not my job, I don’t care at all. I think the players, they are focused on a Newcastle game (tomorrow) that is a very important game and very difficult.”
Maresca has made a positive impact since being appointed Chelsea head coach in June 2024. Last season the club finished fourth in the Premier League, and won the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.
Chelsea go to Newcastle United on Saturday sitting in fourth spot, plus are in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and should at least secure a Champions League play-off place from the league phase. Their FA Cup campaign begins with a third round tie at Charlton Athletic next month.
Pressed on whether he feels there is still a lot more he wants to achieve as Chelsea head coach, he said: “Absolutely, yes. Again, the other day, we achieved the third semi-final in 18 months. Last year, again, I think was good also in terms of trophies, finishing fourth in the Premier League, bringing this club, playing in the Champions League. And now the target is to try to improve what we did last season.”
Chelsea have been boosted by the news that striker Liam Delap is on course to return from a shoulder injury sooner than expected. The forward suffered damage to the AC joint against Bournemouth earlier this month but could make his return against Aston Villa on December 27, just three weeks after suffering the blow. Winger Estevao Willian is also set to be back for that match having missed Cardiff with a minor muscular problem.
Did Maresca convince when addressing his Chelsea future?
This was a much more forthright response from Maresca to all the noise that has been around his position over the past week.
Maresca has cast quite a tense and sombre character in front of the media over the last few days, but the Italian did a much better job of trying to change the narrative this morning.
Walking in smiling and answering some initial light hearted questions about his Christmas plans, Maresca repeated on more than one occasion that he is contracted to the club until at least 2029 and dismissed talk over his future as “speculation”.
Any supporters concerned about losing Maresca to a domestic rival might be a bit more reassured by his promise to still be in charge in 2026-27.
It will help quieten the noise surrounding him for now. As The Athletic reported on Friday, everyone at the club wants to focus on what matters most – the team getting results and performances in all four competitions for the remainder of the season.
Chelsea always wanted to review everything about the club at the end of Maresca’s second season in charge and that remains the case.
But in light of his Everton outburst, which came after Chelsea’s first win in five matches, Maresca will inevitably have more tough questions to answer the next time his team have a bad patch of form.
