Major development shared as Chelsea consider Leicester City figure as Mauricio Pochettino successor | OneFootball

Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is the ‘leading candidate’ to take over at Chelsea after it was announced that Mauricio Pochettino had left Stamford Bridge.

Even though the Londoners enjoyed a strong end to the season, which saw them finish sixth in the Premier League and guarantee European football, there had been doubts over the future of Pochettino.

And, it was confirmed on Tuesday evening that the ex-Spurs chief had left by mutual consent.

Enzo Maresca a frontrunner for Chelsea job

Since then, a host of names have been linked with the vacancy, with Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna another thought to be in the frame alongside Maresca.

Now, in a fresh development, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed that Maresca is the ‘leading candidate’ to succeed Pochettino.

The 44-year-old was only named as the Leicester boss last year, but he enjoyed a fantastic first season as a head coach in English football, as he guided the Foxes to the Championship title.

Whilst they stuttered at times during the run-in, the Midlands outfit ended the season in top spot, and they collected 97 points. Plus, Maresca earned plenty of plaudits for the way his Leicester side played, with a focus on keeping the ball and building from the back.

Leicester City will be keen to keep Enzo Maresca

Following on from that, Maresca has been given a lot of freedom at Leicester, as he recruited players to play his specific style of play, and it worked.

However, that does present a problem if he were to go, as the board would need to try and find a coach who has a similar philosophy to suit the group.

There was a lot of optimism and excitement about how they finished the season, and Maresca will be key to the plans that are being put in place ahead of Leicester’s return to the Premier League.

So, losing him would be a real blow, but you can understand why the Italian would be open to leaving if Chelsea do formalise their interest with an offer to take over.

They are a club that is competing near the top of the table, they have European football, and their squad is packed full of talented young players who Maresca will surely feel he can develop and improve.

Leicester City’s summer plans

The Foxes hierarchy won’t want this to drag on, as it just creates uncertainty and leaves them in a difficult position.

We know that they have plenty of off-field issues, and there is a real possibility that they will be hit with a points deduction due to their PSR problems in recent years.

That will also restrict what they can do in the market, so they need everyone pulling in the same direction and on the same page as they try to build a Premier League squad with the resources available.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, but it’s going to be a worry for all at the King Power Stadium, and it will change the mood ahead of the new season if Maresca does move on.