Chelsea chiefs explain why they wanted to replace Mauricio Pochettino with Enzo Maresca

Chelsea bosses have confirmed that ’s “personality” convinced them to appoint him as ’s replacement.

in the summer despite only having been appointed a year prior. Pochettino had penned a two-year deal with the club.

Despite a tricky start to the season with , he still managed to lead the club to a European return, while the Blues ended last term with a five-match winning run. They then paid £10m to

And now Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have now revealed why they chose to pursue Maresca. Speaking to , Winstanley said: “Enzo was somebody we admired and were keen to bring here.

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“We were really excited by the way he works, aligned with the club and the playing squad, how it’s set up to move forwards. And we absolutely see him here for the long term, that’s definitely how we see it.

“He’s got the personality to manage this club and coach this team, and he’s got a strong belief in the playing style, as we have. And that’s translating to the pitch, it’s translating to the players. The players have got a belief in that. So, none of us are surprised that he’s grasped it quite quickly, but it’s early days and we’ve got to keep that momentum going.”

Stewart added: “As Paul said, we do see it for the long term. He has a five-year contract, that’s what Enzo signed and now he needs a period of time to work with the group and continue to confirm his ideas about his way of playing and for the players to understand that. It’s still very early days.”

Will Enzo Maresca be a success with Chelsea?

Maresca has enjoyed a very bright start to life with Chelsea since moving to Stamford Bridge. The Blues sit fourth in the after just one defeat from their opening seven league games - that coming against on the opening day of the campaign.

Chelsea have also reached the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 5-0 win against Barrow. They however are set to face a testing run of fixtures with upcoming games against , , , and Aston Villa.

While Maresca has enjoyed a positive opening few months with Chelsea, the Blues’ former boss Pochettino has also moved on. He has recently been appointed as the new head coach of the USA. He won his opening game against Panama 2-0 and will be aiming to continue his perfect start against Mexico before the end of the international break.

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