Chelsea shares a statement we’ve never seen before as Manchester City announces Enzo Maresca’s new role
Chelsea has spoken out strongly after Manchester City announced they’ve hired Enzo Maresca as their new manager.
Back in January, Chelsea confirmed that Maresca left the club less than six months after he won the Club World Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge. With Chelsea sitting fifth in the Premier League at the time, many wondered why he’d left so suddenly.
A few months later, it was announced that City legend Pep Guardiola would be stepping down at the end of the 2025/26 season after a hugely successful ten years in charge. Almost immediately, rumors started linking Maresca to Guardiola’s soon-to-be-vacant job.
Chelsea fans weren’t happy about this, with some guessing that Maresca might have pushed to leave once he realized he had a chance to take over at City.
Now, a month later, it’s official: Maresca is City’s new boss. Chelsea released a strong statement that sheds light on why he left and criticizes how it all happened.
The statement said: “Chelsea FC knows the 2025/26 season was very disappointing for the club and our fans. A big part of that was the disruption caused by changes we had to make to the Head Coach role during the Christmas period.
“We feel it’s important to explain what happened and why our former Head Coach left on January 1, 2026.
“Last autumn, he told us there might be a chance for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at City. It became clear he really wanted that job and was fully committed to going for it, even though he had a long-term contract and no right to leave.”
It went on: “In December 2025, he suddenly and unexpectedly resigned. We felt let down because it seemed his focus was on another club and opportunity, even though he had just joined Chelsea the year before.
“No club wants to change their coach mid-season. But since he chose not to stay until the season’s end, we had no choice but to accept his resignation to protect our players, fans, and club.
“Given the situation and respect between clubs, a confidential settlement was agreed with Manchester City which included compensation. A separate confidential deal was also reached with the former Head Coach.”
While Chelsea didn’t share the exact numbers, reports like Ben Jacobs’s say Chelsea got £17 million in compensation, with Maresca also agreeing to a separate settlement.
Maresca also made a statement, apologizing for how he left Chelsea but saying he’s “ecstatic” about joining City now.
He said: “Leaving was my decision alone. Resigning from Chelsea opened the door for me to join Manchester City, a club I know well. I’m really happy to be part of City now.
“I understand leaving Chelsea mid-season caused disruption, and I’m sorry for that—it was never my intention or wish.”