Football: Maresca officially quits Chelsea, Cucurella thanks him

Enzo Maresca quits Chelsea — the brutal end of a strained cycle

At Chelsea, football is vicious and stories never end quietly. Enzo Maresca’s no exception. The Italian coach left his post on Thursday, New Year’s Day — a timing almost symbolic for a club that keeps reinventing itself at full speed. Behind the announcement smelled inevitability, the direct result of a relationship with the Blues’ hierarchy that had gone too fragile.

The record, though, isn’t trivial. Trophies first. A Club World Cup, a Conference League, and stretches where Chelsea looked capable of bringing order to chronic chaos. On paper, Maresca posted 28 wins, 15 draws and 14 defeats in 57 Premier League matches. 133 goals scored. Football, bold ideas, intent. At Stamford Bridge, numbers never buy you time for long.

When the momentum collapses

The end was slow, almost painful. One win in the last seven league games. Too little for a club that won’t tolerate waiting. The 2-2 draw with Bournemouth was the full stop. A game that summed up the spell: fragile, messy, infuriating.

Chelsea also dropped 15 points after sitting top of the table early in the 2025-26 season. That stings. A reverse record. And an argument the board couldn’t ignore. A 49.1% win rate eventually weighed heavy, too heavy, in an environment where demand slides into impatience.

A locker room hit, nonetheless

Despite the abrupt exit, Maresca didn’t leave the dressing room cold. Far from it. Marc Cucurella was one of the first to react publicly, with plain but powerful words. Under Maresca the Spaniard featured 78 times — more than any other player. A clear sign of trust, and of how important their bond was.

“Thanks for everything you’ve done,” Cucurella said. Short. Telling. Maresca mattered. For some players he was a reference point in a club that’s often unstable.

Chelsea and its never-ending question

And now? Chelsea finds itself, once again, at a crossroads. Find the right manager. Give the project some meaning. Turn a promising base into a coherent machine. Easier said than done at a club where cycles burn out at breakneck speed.

Enzo Maresca leaves openly. With trophies, ideas, and the bitter taste of not being backed all the way. His spell in London will be remembered as light mixed with tension, promises mixed with frustration. Very Chelsea. And almost certainly not the last.