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We’re just waiting for the official announcement on Enzo Maresca being named the new Chelsea manager. As I told you yesterday, it’s a ‘here we go’ – everything is done, and I can confirm it’s a contract until 2029 with the option of a further year. Everything with Maresca’s staff is also almost sorted – he will bring five members of staff with him from Leicester City, including former Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero, with everything being completed between all the parties involved.
Maresca will also have an important role in deciding what to do with some of the talents at the club. There are some players who will leave Chelsea, for sure, and there are some waiting to speak to the manager and to see what he will decide to do. The Chelsea board are also waiting to have a conversation with Maresca to see what he will do with, for example, Omari Hutchinson.
Hutchinson impressed on loan at Ipswich Town last season and now many clubs have asked about him, including Ajax and Stuttgart, while Ipswich are also pushing to have him back after his fantastic season with the club. There is strong interest in the player, and Maresca will be involved in the decision.
It’s the same with Andrey Santos – there is a lot of interest from different countries, and it’s also possible we could see him return to Strasbourg. His performances there since joining Patrick Vieira’s side on loan in January have been great, so there is a possibility that he will continue there, but Chelsea want to discuss it with Maresca first.
Arsenal are prepared to enter into advanced conversations with Mikel Arteta and his representatives to extend his contract. Arsenal didn’t want to discuss it during the season, they were waiting for the end of the Premier League, but in private conversations they always made it clear that they wanted to extend his contract.
Arteta’s current contract expires in 2025 and they didn’t want to enter into the new season with this still being unresolved, so the idea is very clear – after some initial contacts in April/May, now he will enter into concrete and advanced talks to extend his contract.
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