Ranking the five favourites to replace Enzo Maresca as Chelsea manager: Fabregas, Xavi… | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca will depart Chelsea after a spectacular falling out with the club’s owners, according to reports.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Maresca and Chelsea have agreed to part ways following growing tensions over the past few weeks.

We’ve taken a look through the latest bookmakers’ odds on Oddschecker – here are the five favourites to succeed Maresca.

1. Liam Rosenior – 15/8

The company man is the clear favourite.

In his Guardian report on Maresca’s dismissal, well-sourced Chelsea reporter Jacob Steinberg explicitly mentioned the highly-rated 41-year-old English coach, who has worked wonders at BlueCo sister outfit Strasbourg.

“One solution would be for them to turn to the Strasbourg manager, Liam Rosenior, who has long been viewed as a potential successor to Maresca,” writes Steinberg.

“Strasbourg are Chelsea’s partner club and Rosenior has impressed for the Ligue 1 side.

“Much would depend on the quality of replacement Strasbourg would be able to recruit now.”

While the ownership has seen Strasbourg make great strides in Ligue 1, the fans protested the sale.

Chelsea nabbing their manager wouldn’t exactly help to soothe their concerns, instead reinforcing the perception that Strasbourg’s progress exists primarily to serve interests elsewhere rather than its own long-term sporting identity.

2. Oliver Glasner – 11/2

The Austrian’s situation at Crystal Palace is well documented.

While Glasner is a serene figure, he’s reportedly voiced his displeasure at the club’s inactivity in the transfer market and failure to add sufficient depth following this season’s addition of European football.

Well, he certainly wouldn’t have that problem at Chelsea.

There are question marks over whether the back three system that Glasner deployed to great success at Crystal Palace would be well-suited to Chelsea’s squad, but his adaptability would surely appeal to the Chelsea hierarchy.

“The system? It must fit the players,” he told Sky Sports earlier this season.

“There is too much discussion about the system. The system is not important. Habits are important, the patterns and how you want your players to behave on the pitch. That is much more important.”

He still hasn’t penned an extension to his contract, which expires in June. Watch this space.

3. Cesc Fabregas – 7/1

Fabregas back at the Bridge? We could see it.

The Spaniard had a transformative effect when he signed for the club in the summer of 2014. Same again in the dugout?

He’s been well-backed at Como but done a remarkable job to get the Serie A upstarts challenging for Champions League qualification.

You imagine that it’s only a matter of time before he has his pick of Europe’s top jobs. But getting him out of Como wouldn’t be easy, as Inter found with their failed approach in the summer. The club’s Indonesian billionaire owners are prepared to play hardball.

4. Xavi Hernandez – 8/1

“The priority is the right project, not the money,” a source close to Xavi told BeInSports after Xavi turned down an offer from Spartak Moscow a couple of months back.

The only name on this list who is currently available right now, it would be interesting to see whether the legendary former Barcelona midfielder would take a big job in the Premier League.

He speaks good English and his favoured possession style would offer a natural succession from Maresca, although the football his Barcelona side played was often on the plodding side.

While things ended awkwardly in Barcelona, it shouldn’t be forgotten that he led the club to an unlikely La Liga title at the height of their financial mismanagement.

5. Marco Silva – 12/1

Another manager who is now into the final six months of his current deal, Silva would represent a cheaper, pragmatic option.

While his appointment would be unlikely to set any pulses racing, he’s relatively proven in the Premier League and has arguably earned another shot at a big job after consolidating Fulham’s place comfortably in midtable.

There’s a certain surliness about Silva, but we could imagine him biting his tongue and knowing his place within the all-important wider structure at Stamford Bridge. One who wouldn’t rock the boat.