“I’m Very Close”: Enzo Maresca Makes a Key Leicester City Admission Ahead of Chelsea Clash

Enzo Maresca took charge of Leicester City after their relegation from the Premier League, replacing Dean Smith.

Under his management, Leicester dominated the Championship, securing the title ahead of Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Leeds United.

Maresca earned widespread praise for the style of football his team played during the 2023/24 season.

He got the best out of key players, including Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall—who later moved to Chelsea—along with Jamie Vardy, Abdul Fatawu, and Jannik Vestergaard.

Fans hoped he would lead them back in the Premier League, but Chelsea came calling after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked, and Maresca made the move to Stamford Bridge.

Despite leaving Leicester, Maresca has frequently spoken about his time at the club. In a press conference on Friday, he made an interesting admission regarding his former players.

Maresca Still Keeps in Touch with Leicester Players

Although he spent less than a year at Leicester, Maresca formed strong relationships with his squad—something they currently seem to lack under their new manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Maresca highly rated his players, once describing Vardy as England’s best striker and calling Harry Winks ‘unbelievable.’

His close connection with the squad hasn’t faded, as he admitted he remains in contact with several of them following their memorable promotion campaign.

Speaking to Football.London, Maresca said, “The only thing I can say is that I try to create a relationship with players where, in the end, I feel very close to them, and they probably feel very close to me.

This is probably the only reason. I still speak with many Leicester players because we had a fantastic season last year, and I’m very close to some of them.”

Leicester will face Chelsea this weekend at Stamford Bridge, and Maresca has a chance to push Van Nistelrooy’s struggling team further into trouble.

Maresca Encouraged Van Nistelrooy to Take the Leicester Job

While Maresca was a popular figure at Leicester during their promotion-winning season, Van Nistelrooy’s tenure has been far less successful.

Leicester fans have grown increasingly frustrated with their current manager, calling for his dismissal after a defeat to West Ham.

That loss marked their 11th in 12 league games, and most supporters now expect the club to be relegated, as they sit five points behind 17th-placed Wolves.

Interestingly, Maresca played a role in Van Nistelrooy’s appointment.

The two managers share a strong friendship, and it was Maresca who encouraged him to take the Leicester job in the first place.

Back in December 2024, Maresca revealed, “Ruud is a friend of mine. I mentioned it before when we played against Manchester United.

He called me a few days before accepting the job, and we had a conversation.

I told him Leicester is a fantastic club, mainly because of the incredible people there. It’s a great club, and in the end, he decided to go.”

At the time, no one could have predicted how poorly things would turn out.

Now, with Leicester facing the real threat of relegation, it’s clear that replacing Steve Cooper with Van Nistelrooy has backfired.