What £40m transfer tells us about Enzo Maresca’s say in Chelsea business | OneFootball

Chelsea’s sporting structure gives the manager some say in terms of transfers, but it’s nothing like the old days.

The evidence for that is clear – there’s no way that the coach wanted Joao Felix last summer, yet the decision was made to bring him in for €40m from Atletico Madrid. Maresca’s feelings were clear, as explained by Liam Twomey in his piece on Felix’s strange two spells at Chelsea.

Felix not fancied since before he arrived

Joao Felix holding up an Al Nassr shirt.

“Reports that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca did not want Joao Felix last summer were denied strongly by club officials,” Twomey wrote

“But his selection in the first half of last season spoke volumes: the former Atletico man started only three times in the Premier League against the three promoted (and soon to be relegated) sides: Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town.”

As Twomey went on to point out, Maresca also had quotes during the season where he implicitly criticised Felix’s defending, and made it clear that that’s why he wasn’t getting picked more often.

He never was or would be a Maresca player, but was bought anyway, for PSR reasons more than anything. Still, by selling him to Al Nassr for a profit, the club have pulled off one of their more memorable transfer coups of recent times.

Impressive Maresca earns more say on deals

It’s safe to assume that a good first season for Maresca has brought him more weight in these discussions. The club will still go for players for non-football reasons (the potential deal for Alejandro Garnacho we’re hearing so much about probably falls into this category), but over time the Italian coach can certainly lay down the law a little more in terms of influencing the type of players the transfer team are going for.