"I’m completely shocked" - Chelsea legend John Terry gives his take on club's decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca

Chelsea legend John Terry has said that he is shocked by the club's decision to part ways with manager Enzo Maresca. The Englishman is wondering what went wrong behind the scenes in the last month.

In a TikTok video, Terry said he has no idea what the reasons for the sacking are and is also trying to figure things out. He praised Maresca for doing well in his first Premier League job and said (via Metro):

"Enzo Maresca has just been sacked by Chelsea, and to be honest, I’m completely shocked. I didn’t see it coming. I know things of late haven’t been how he would like. You can see and hear that there’s been tension. I’ve had so many phone calls this morning after the news and everyone expects me to know what’s happening. I haven’t got a clue what’s happening, I’m not involved in the first team so I don’t know." "Just my opinion from afar, there’s clearly been tension between the manager and the owner and they’ve come to this decision. It’s a big shock because rewind three or four weeks ago and we were playing so well against Barcelona. It was so good and fast forward four weeks and form and performances clearly haven’t been good enough."

However, Terry added that there are two sides to every story, and the decision might have been forced on the club. He said:

"I think like the squad, the manager is inexperienced himself. It was his first full-time job in the top-flight and he has said how he’s still learning and how he’s got some things wrong at times. But I will say there’s always two sides to the story and there’s certainly things behind the scenes that I don’t know about. I just hear rumblings like everyone else does."

Chelsea parted ways with Enzo Maresca on January 1, 2026, just 18 months into his five-year deal at the club.

Enzo Maresca was talking to Manchester City during Chelsea stint

The Athletic have reported that Enzo Maresca held three meetings with Manchester City during the last few months. The report claims that the Italian was being prepared to take over from Pep Guardiola.

David Ornstein has claimed that Maresca held two meetings in October 2025 and then held talks against in December 2025. The regular meetings and the dip in form saw Chelsea make the quick decision to part ways.

Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol added that the Italian manager was also at war with the club's medical staff over players' fitness and injury issues.

Edited by Sripad