There’s no such thing as a honeymoon period for new managers at Stamford Bridge and Enzo Maresca could find that out the hard way.
The guided Leicester back to the as champions just 12 months after they were relegated to the second tier of English football but quickly jumped ship when he was offered the chance to replace Mauricio Pochettino as boss.
Maresca, who previously served as an assistant to at Manchester City, becomes the fifth Blues manager in two seasons and the seventh permanent head honcho in five years.
That’s a remarkable turnover and although chairman at the helm as Chelsea embark on a long-term project, recent history clearly shows the board is swift to wield the axe if everything is not going according to plan.
as they could start next season with a points deduction after falling foul of Financial Fair Play rules – a situation he was apparently not aware of when taking charge at the King Power Stadium.
He has also been given the chance at a blue-riband club who are not afraid to spend on new players after splashing out more than £1billion on new recruits since their American owners took over. How could he resist?
by mutual consent, especially Cole Palmer whose meteoric rise saw him score 22 Premier League goals with only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland netting last term more with 27.
Palmer calmly tucked away a penalty for England in their 3-0 victory in the friendly against Bosnia on Monday and will surely be a central part of Gareth Southgate’s plans for the forthcoming European Championship in Germany.
Chelsea struggled in Pochettino’s early days in charge but finished the season strongly, ending up sixth to return to European football next season in the Europa Conference League.
They are as short as 10/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to win the title next season and the 6/4 offered by Sky Bet and Bet Victor for them to finish in the top four are shorter than odds generally offered on Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle.
, though, another bright young manager destined for greatness only to crash and burn at the Bridge? The odds for the first manager to be released by a Premier League club will make fascinating reading when they are released.
• India open their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland with Rohit Sharma 3/1 with Sky Bet to be their leading batter and Jasprit Bumrah is 11/4 with Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred to be their top wicket taker.
• Elena Rybakina, our ante-post selection, is steaming through the women’s singles at the French Open and is 5/6 with bet365 to beat Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in their quarter-final. Aryna Sabalenka is making equally impressive progress and is 8/11 with the same firm to beat Mirra Andreeva by the same margin. Put them both in a double at decent stakes.
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