Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is “100%” safe from the sack this season despite a drop in form, according to club director Jonathan Goldstein.
Maresca, after arriving from Leicester City, enjoyed a fine start to life in west London and Chelsea were battling Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League title race heading into Christmas.
However, since beating Brentford on Dec. 15 Chelsea have won just two of their nine league games and were resoundingly beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 in their last match.
But while Chelsea, who have famously not given coaches a long leash in the past, have dropped to sixth in the table — and out of the Champions League places — Goldstein has become the first member of the club’s board to publicly back Maresca.
“He’s doing a great job,” Goldstein, who is part of the BlueCo consortium that bought Chelsea in 2022, said on Bloomberg TV. “Chelsea started the season very well.
“The past six weeks have been, you know, finding their feet a little bit more. But Enzo has clearly done a great job in bringing the team together, bringing the talent through.”
Asked if Maresca would stay for the rest of the season, Goldstein replied: “100%.”
Chelsea take on Aston Villa next on Saturday in a game that could have huge ramifications for their European football hopes next season.
During the club’s strong start to the season, Maresca maintained that Chelsea were not ready for a title challenge and were focused on a top-four finish.
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