WEST BROM’S crew of 1998-99 could seem an unlikely breeding floor for future Chelsea managers.
However Enzo Maresca is following within the footsteps of his former Baggies team-mate Graham Potter by being appointed to take cost at Stamford Bridge by American house owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
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Full-back Potter used to offer teenaged midfielder Maresca a raise to coaching, after his free switch from Cagliari.
Now he’ll see his former colleague take the Chelsea job from which he was sacked in April final 12 months.
Denis Smith, the Albion supervisor who introduced Maresca to England as a teen, mentioned: “That’s now two Chelsea managers who’ve come from that West Brom crew I managed — so I should have been educating them one thing proper!”
West Brom completed mid- desk within the previous First Division — now the Championship — earlier than Smith was sacked.
But they ended up pocketing a club-record £4million by promoting Maresca to Juventus the following season.
And former Sunderland boss Smith reckons the Italian confirmed a uncommon footballing intelligence — even then.
Smith, 76, recalled: “I had already introduced one other Italian — Mario Bortolazzi — to West Brom and the agent requested me to take a look at an 18-year-old child who was obtainable on a free.
“He skilled with us for lower than half an hour and I instructed the agent, ‘He’ll do me!’
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“Enzo might barely communicate English however it didn’t matter. He was clearly a shiny child and, boy, might he decide a cross.
“In case you needed him to sit down in and play as a holding midfielder, he understood that function so properly, however he was additionally very helpful going ahead. He had just about every thing.
“We obtained him without spending a dime however West Brom ended up promoting him to Juventus for some huge cash — after I had been sacked!
“More often than not we have been collectively, I used the opposite Italian lad (Bortolazzi) as a translator.
“However Enzo simply had such intelligence that it didn’t really feel like communication was a problem.
“He was solely younger however when somebody reads the sport like he might, it doesn’t shock you once they go on to achieve success as a coach and supervisor.
“There weren’t many gamers coming over from Europe to the First Division again then within the 90s.
“Nevertheless it was a great market of mine, as we proved with Maresca. It was a daring transfer for him to return to England at such a younger age however that intelligence made it straightforward for him to settle over right here.
“Skilled footballers — as I usually inform folks — are a extra clever bunch than they’re given credit score for and Enzo was one of many brightest.”
Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca is taken into account among the many most fun younger coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to information Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His administration profession began at Italian minnows Ascoli earlier than he was snapped up by Man Metropolis in 2020 to handle their Elite Growth Squad.
He guided the youth crew to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Residents – with Cole Palmer within the aspect.
His first senior job was with Parma however he was sacked after only a few months after failing to impress.
Regardless of the crew enjoying in Serie B and Maresca having a formidable squad he was unable to get them on the right track for promotion.
He returned to Man Metropolis and labored as one in all Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they gained the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester final summer time and made an instantaneous affect, with the Foxes successful the Championship title.
Maresca confirmed his dedication to the job by residing on the coaching floor for the primary two months after his appointment.
He is thought of one thing of a Pep disciple and has mentioned: “For a coach, it’s essential to have the mentality of a chess participant.”
Throughout his enjoying profession he performed underneath Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
Maresca would go on to win Serie A with Juventus and two Uefa Cups with Sevilla earlier than he managed Manchester Metropolis’s reserves underneath Pep Guardiola.
After a short unsuccessful spell in control of Italian Serie B membership Parma, Maresca led Leicester to the Championship title final season.
After Chelsea triggered his £10million Foxes launch clause, 44-year-old Maresca is following Potter into the Stamford Bridge hotseat — vacated by Mauricio Pochettino earlier this month.
And their previous boss Smith — who additionally managed York, Bristol Metropolis, Oxford and Wrexham — mentioned: “They undergo loads of managers at Chelsea however, nevertheless impatient they’re, it’s nonetheless a job Enzo will really feel he needed to take.
“They’re one of many largest golf equipment in Europe and anybody with ambition would desire a crack at it.
“The most effective coaches and managers are those who recognise that soccer is such a fancy recreation however can ship their messages in easy phrases to gamers with out over-complicating it.
“That’s a capability that Graham Potter has and it doesn’t shock me that Maresca has it, too.”
Leicester followers will not miss Maresca
By Graeme Bryce
It is honest to say most Leicester followers weren’t precisely pleading with Maresca to remain.
OK, they weren’t queueing up and providing to drive him to Stamford Bridge.
However there is not going to be too many tears shed or a lot wailing on the King Energy both.
The followers’ angle to dropping their extremely profitable boss may very well be summed up in a phrase: ‘Meh’.
Maresca did not win over the paying public who by no means actually took to his affected person, possession-based type of soccer.
Having been introduced up — some would say spoiled — by the swashbuckling title winners of 2016, with Jamie Vardy spearheading supervisor Claudio Ranieri’s shock champions, Maresca by no means actually obtained off the bottom on the King Energy.
So it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what Chelsea’s notoriously impatient followers make of Maresca’s ‘demise by a thousand cuts’ type of play.
It was not lengthy earlier than a number of the old-school Leicester followers began moaning that Maresca’s affected person, play-out-from-the-back type was turning into too boring to look at.
Throughout a 3-1 win over Swansea which left them ten factors clear on the prime, there have been moans and groans coming from the stands amid cries of, ‘Get the ball ahead’.
Followers accused him of stubbornly sticking to his Plan A — even when it was not working — and claimed he was manner too sluggish to make substitutions.
However one factor Blues followers can stay up for is his man-management and his consideration to element.
And the Foxes gamers additionally adored their supervisor.
