Chelsea have released a public statement, a little over a couple of hours ago, confirming that they will receive financial compensation for Enzo Maresca taking the Manchester City managerial job. Maresca himself has agreed to a separate settlement, where he will pay out of his own pocket. Neither amount was officially confirmed, but it is believed that Man City will pay Chelsea £17 million for Maresca, who had to break his Chelsea contract in order to take the job.
He has publicly apologized to the southwest London club and their community, for his mid-season resignation. Both clubs have released statements, and we covered the Man City side in the last post.
The CFC statement reads, in part:
“It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate.
In December 2025, our Head Coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.
No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the Club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters, and the Badge and accept his resignation.”
The amount that Maresca himself will pay to Stamford Bridge has not been reported as of yet.
It is easy to understand why Chelsea felt “let down” by the Italian’s mid-season exit, and their 2025-26 campaign went seriously downhill after his departure. Liam Rosenior was a disaster hire, as he was just simply in over his coaching depth from day one. Still a separation was inevitable, because the opportunity to succeed Pep Guardiola just doesn’t come around every day.
And they had to part ways, given how Maresca was focused on another club.
Chelsea start the rebuilding process again this year, with Xabi Alonso the new head coach in place to lead that rebuild.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.