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Enzo Maresca became the first Chelsea head coach of the Todd Boehly era to remain in charge into a second season.
But, even after winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, Maresca proved all men in the Stamford Bridge dugout are on borrowed time.
"With key objectives still to play for across four competitions, including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the Club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track," a Chelsea club statement read
After appointing Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Maresca since taking the reins at Chelsea in mid-2022, who will chairman Boehly and the club's powerbrokers turn to next?
MORE: Why did Chelsea sack Enzo Maresca? Reasons why Blues parted ways with trophy-winning Italian coach
Who will be the next Chelsea manager?
In the immediate aftermath of Maresca's sacking, Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior emerged as the early frontrunner.
Rosenior, 41, has never managed in the Premier League. Following a stint as interim boss of Derby County, he took charge of Hull City in November 2022. He led the Tigers to seventh place in the Championship in 2023/24 before being sacked due to differences over the team's preferred playing style with owner Acun Ilicali.
In July 2024, Rosenior took over Strasbourg in France's top flight and, as of January 1, 2026, he boasted an impressive 50% win ratio charge of the Ligue 1 club.
Most significantly, Strasbourg come under the BlueCo multi-club ownership group that also runs Chelsea, so will be very well known to the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
Why was Enzo Maresca sacked by Chelsea?
A 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders appeared to mark Chelsea out for a title challenge. In reality, it was the start of a run of two wins in nine matches across all competitions, one of which was against League One Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup.
Maresca hit out, seemingly at Chelsea's sporting directors, when he claimed the 48 hours between the Champions League defeat at Atalanta and a brief return to winning ways against Everton had been his worst at the club.
Results failed to improve amid a brief flurry of reports linking Maresca to succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City at the end of this season, despite the Catalan's contract running until 2027
A defeat at home to Aston Villa from 1-0 up and a 2-2 draw with struggling Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge proved to be the final straw. Maresca's failure to attend his post-match press conference after the Bournemouth game, with illness cited, felt like further evidence of a relationship between club and coach at breaking point. It proved to be his final game in charge.
Other contenders to replace Maresca at Chelsea
The specific nature of how Chelsea recruit and run their club makes the appeal of Rosenior's effectively in-house appointment is obvious.
Maresca's compatriot Roberto De Zerbi — also working in Ligue 1 with Marseille — has been listed among the candidates. His links to Brighton mean there would be a few familiar faces at Stamford Bridge, although his combustible nature might not appeal after the Maresca episode.
Crystal Palace's FA Cup-winning boss Oliver Glasner is also high up in the betting, as he is for most high-profile jobs nowadays. However, The Athletic has reported Glasner is not in contention.
Cesc Fabregas has won admirers in his first senior coaching role at Como and would be a popular choice with the Chelsea faithful after he won two Premier League titles as a player at Stamford Bridge.
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