So 2026 begins with one man who celebrated Chelsea’s Club World Cup win still in a job. Donald Trump’s powers of survival, however, are not matched by Enzo Maresca. The dramatic decline in his fortunes, from demolishing Barcelona to departing Chelsea in barely six weeks, can reflect on the decidedly strange press conference he gave after beating Everton, when he talked of the “worst 48 hours” of his tenure. If the last 48 might have been worse again, it may also mean that the Chelsea hierarchy, like many others, did not actually place much weight on the Club World Cup.
It also shows the enduring instability at Stamford Bridge. That may prove part of Roman Abramovich’s legacy. Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, however, can look like Abramovich in overdrive. Maresca’s successor will be the seventh man to take charge of a match in their three-and-a-half year ownership; or, if there is a caretaker, the eighth.
