Enzo Maresca has officially left Leicester City to take over as manager of Chelsea, capping weeks of rumors.
With Leicester City giving Enzo Maresca just his second senior management position and putting a great deal of faith in him to lead them back to the Premier League, supporters of the team can naturally be upset.
The Argentine did exactly that, taking home the Championship with 97 points, but Chelsea’s allure was too great for him to ignore during his first season back in the top division.
Leicester has had time to consider its alternatives and compile a shortlist because the transfer has been one of the worst kept secrets in football for the past few months.
Although names like Mauricio Sarri, Steve Cooper, and Graham Potter have all been mentioned, it now seems that one of the front-runners for the position has approved them.
Carlos Corberan in talks with Leicester City
The Leicester management is quite fond of West Brom manager Carlos Corberan, and he seems inclined to taking the position, according to Belgian writer Sacha Tavolieiri.
Tavolieri wrote on “X”: “Carlos Corberan is a top pick to take over as head coach of Leicester City!
The WBA trainer has already met and spoken with the fox leaders. Burnley made an attempt as well, but Corberan is eager to join LCFC.
It is perhaps unsurprising that Leicester have a greater pull than Burnley given their relegation and the Foxes could give Corberan his first taste of the Premier League after twice losing in the Championship play-offs.
Corberan very different to Enzo Maresca
Corberan’s first play-off defeat came in the final against Nottingham Forest whilst manager of Huddersfield Town in 2021/22, with the second this season in the semi-finals against Southampton.
Compared to Maresca, the Spanish coach is significantly different in that he takes a different approach to each game based on the opposition and carefully examines every team to look for vulnerabilities.
One of Maresca’s criticisms, even after his team won the championship, was that they only had one style of play.
Maresca, who is heavily influenced by Pep Guardiola, is a possession-focused manager, whilst Corberan is perhaps more of a natural defense-minded coach.
One benefit with uncertainty around finances is that Corberan is used to managing a shoestring budget, with West Brom not spending a single penny of transfer fees either in pre-season or January of their play-off campaign.
An overhaul of the playing style Maresca worked so hard to implement may well be needed and this could actually stand the club in better stead in the Premier League where they will be facing superior opposition.
Southampton manager Russell Martin spoke on Corberan ahead of the pair’s meeting in the play-offs, saying: “They’ve given us two really tough games. Carlos Corberan is a brilliant coach, they have experienced Premier League players and really experienced Championship players.
“They are physical, strong, powerful, and are well coached. They can do both sides of the game well, with and without the ball.”
If it is to be Corberan, the 41-year-old will have to show just how good a coach he is in order to ensure the Foxes remain in the top flight.
