Chelsea release staggering Enzo Maresca statement, condemn "abrupt" exit after Manchester City move confirmed

Chelsea have released a lengthy statement to reveal that Enzo Maresca first expressed a desire to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City in "Autumn last year".

After weeks of speculation, the Italian was finally confirmed as the Spaniard's successor at the Etihad Stadium on Monday afternoon.

The delay has been a result of Chelsea's hierarchy pushing hard to receive substantial compensation for Maresca choosing to walk away from Stamford Bridge just 18 months into a five-year contract.

A report last week suggested that Chelsea would be recouping in the region of £17m after lengthy discussions between the relevant parties.

In a detailed statement, the West Londoners have now revealed the details behind the surprise exit of Maresca on New Year's Day.

Chelsea release Maresca statement, reveals details of Italian's Stamford Bridge exit

It read: "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. 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 1 January 2026.

"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.

"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.

"Looking forward to next season, in Xabi Alonso, we have a Manager who has an exceptional football mind and is a professional of the highest integrity. He has all the attributes to deliver the success the Club’s supporters deserve and expect."

Chelsea get Maresca reward for perseverance

Regardless of Maresca's mid-season exit, Chelsea should not have finished as low as 10th place in the Premier League table given the quality within their squad.

At the same time, it is understandable that BlueCo were left furious that the progress that had been made in Maresca's first campaign had been undone due to the temptation of Man City.

When Guardiola eventually left the Etihad Stadium, Maresca was always going to be high on Man City's shortlist due to the time that he has previously spent working Guardiola. Chelsea would have known this and they should not act like they were naive to the possibility of it.

Nevertheless, Chelsea were in a strong position from a legal perspective, and they deserve credit for pushing as hard as possible to receive a big sum that will make up for some of the missed revenue from failing to qualify for Europe.