Maresca Chelsea, Man United exits and more

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A big ‘here we go’ from yesterday as Chelsea have their new manager – Enzo Maresca is set to replace Mauricio Pochettino, and, as I previously said, don’t worry too much about stories about him wanting to stay at Leicester; he always wanted to go to Chelsea.

Now it’s done and Maresca can be considered the new Chelsea manager. There is a total agreement over the contract, which will be for five years, despite the initial discussions being over a three-year deal. Now it’s a deal until 2029 and also with the option to extend it until 2030.

This shows Chelsea’s excitement about Maresca – their conversations over the weekend were super positive, and the Chelsea board decided to fly to Marbella to meet face to face with Maresca. They like his ideas and believe he’s a very positive coach – a dynamic, modern, young manager obsessed with possession football to control a game. I said last week when Chelsea were considering firing Mauricio Pochettino that this was the kind of manager they wanted, and here he is.

The agreement is done for Maresca and his staff, with the Italian manager set to earn around €5m a season salary, with some add-ons. Chelsea and Leicester are also closing in on an agreement on the compensation fee – my understanding is that Chelsea will pay around €10m for Maresca, and they’re also finalising the details for his staff, and then it will all be signed.

And remember – it will be a busy summer for Chelsea, with around five signings, maybe less, maybe more, but for sure they are looking at goalkeepers, maybe or one or two centre-backs, and they’re also looking at central strikers and wingers. Chelsea will be busy, and Maresca will be involved.

Of course, one signing is already agreed and that’s for talented Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian – everything is being reviewed and signed for this big signing for the future, who will join in 2025 from Palmeiras.

I wanted to clarify some reports on Manchester United. We know there will be some players leaving the club this summer, with Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial already confirming that they will leave on free transfers, but there will be some…