Chelsea hit out at Maresca as he joins Man City

Chelsea have strongly hit out at Enzo Maresca moments after it was confirmed he had taken over as the new manager of Manchester City.

The 46-year-old succeeds Pep Guardiola, who won 20 trophies during a glittering 10-year reign at City before stepping down at the end of last season.

But in an explosive statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Chelsea said the club had "felt let down" by Maresca over his exit from Stamford Bridge during the middle of last season.

The west London club claimed Maresca had "unexpectedly and abruptly resigned" and that he had been "fully committed to pursuing the opportunity" at City despite being under a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca, who left Chelsea in January, previously had a role at City in 2020, leading their development squad to the top of the table in his first season.

He returned to the Etihad Stadium in 2022 as one of Guardiola's assistant managers, after a spell steering Parma in Italy.

He then took over at Leicester City in 2023, leading them to the Championship title and a return to the Premier League, before heading to Chelsea in the summer of 2024.

Maresca, whose current deal will keep him at the Etihad until the summer of 2029, said: "Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me.

"City is an incredibly well-run football club. Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful.

"For a manager, that is a dream situation. It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively.

"This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations."

But as Maresca's appointment was confirmed, Chelsea put out their statement over what it called a "hugely disappointing" campaign last season, which it said was partly due to the "disruption" caused by Maresca's exit.

Chelsea said: "In autumn last year, the club was informed by our former head coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season.

"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."

Chelsea added that "in the circumstances" a confidential settlement has been agreed with City, which includes the "payment of compensation".

The club also said a settlement had been reached with Maresca "under which he will pay compensation".

(c) Sky News 2026: Chelsea hit out at Maresca as he joins Man City