Enzo Maresca has revealed his belief that Chelsea’s squad is ‘full of talent’ and his love of the club’s Italian connections were driving factors behind his decision to join the club.
The Blues appointed Maresca as their new head coach last month, with the Italian signing a four-year contract to succeed Mauricio Pochettino in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
In his first sit-down interview with Chelsea’s club channels since his arrival from Leicester City, Maresca revealed his motivations in swapping the East Midlands for west London.
When asked if he is looking forward to working with his new squad, Maresca replied: “I’m very excited. One of the reasons I’m here is because I’m convinced the squad is very good and full of talent. The most important thing now is we’re able to create the right culture that drives us for the season.
“I always say the same: if you are able to improve players then you are able to improve the team. So it’s our target to try to improve all of them day by day.”
Maresca becomes the sixth Italian manager to take charge of Chelsea, following in the footsteps of Gianluca Vialli, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri.
The 44-year-old added that this link to his homeland added further motivation to join Chelsea.
“One of the reasons for sure [I joined]. I’m very proud to be an Italian manager here again. Probably there is something between Chelsea as a club, as a family, and Italian people that works well!” Maresca added.
Maresca’s Chelsea will fly out to the US later this month for a five-match pre-season tour, with games against Wrexham, Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid scheduled. They will then return to Stamford Bridge to take on Inter in one last friendly before the season begins.
The Blues kick off their Premier League campaign at home to champions City, who Maresca spent two years with as part of their coaching staff.
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