Chelsea transfer news: Maresca praised by Collymore

Enzo Maresca has the toughest job at Chelsea and despite an opening-season defeat to Man City, he has earned praise from Stan Collymore.

The Italian will be under no illusions about what is expected of him at Stamford Bridge, so it is important that he makes it clear from the outset that he is not to be messed with.

The most successful managers of recent seasons have been those with an uncompromising side to their personalities, such as Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

Maresca still has a long way to go to be classified in the same category as that trio, especially as he had never coached a team in a top European league before taking charge in west London.

Collymore gives Enzo Maresca the thumbs up over Chilwell and Sterling

The recent decisions regarding player departures may not have gone down well with everyone, but Collymore believes the manager’s directness deserves praise.

“Players respect the fact that managers give them clear information because too many don’t. Too many people literally walk down a corridor to a player and say ‘how’s your mate? etc etc’, pat him on the back and then stab him in the back by shutting him down and not saying anything or confronting the problem,” he told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“It has happened many times in football history and there are countless stories of a manager saying one thing but doing another.

“I don’t think players will be too angry if a manager tells five or six Chelsea players: ‘You’re done, it’s over, you won’t get another game here.’

“I’m a big fan of that.”

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Ultimately, results will determine Maresca’s future. While players like Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher will likely be missed, Blues fans would do well to look forward rather than back.

The manager’s role is clear and he wants everyone to be on the same page, especially in the early stages of the season.

If the club can now also get some money back from transfers before the end of the current transfer window, that should be a nice start for the Financial Fair Play situation.

?????????? Conor Gallagher presented at the Metropolitano as new player of Atlético Madrid! photo.twitter.com/6mWL6rEvBj

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 21, 2024

Gallagher is likely to be happy in Madrid if his welcome at Atlético is anything to go by, while Chilwell and Sterling still have plenty of time to find a new club thanks to Maresca’s directness.