Frank Lampard has warned Chelsea they must be patient following the appointment of Enzo Maresca.
The Blues confirmed the appointment of the Championship-winning former Leicester manager on a five-year contract to replace Maurico Pochettino.
Maresca worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and decision-makers are believed to view him as similar to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who has restored former glories in north London after working under the City coach.
The 44-year-old is regarded as the ideal fit for the Chelsea board, who have already seen five managers (including temporary appointments) come and go since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover in May 2022.
Chelsea believe his charisma and temperament is well-suited to managing such a big club, as well as his possession-focused brand of football being something the club value highly.
Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart made Marseca their leading candidate after Pochettino’s departure, both because of the upward trajectory he is embarking on and willingness to work in their existing structure.
While Maresca will have some input into this summer’s transfer business, he will not have control over recruitment matters. Instead, the focus will be on yielding improvements out of players on the coaching pitch.
Pochettino was the permanent replacement for Graham Potter, though the Argentine himself had come in after Lampard’s return on an interim basis.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the Blues legend said: “It was good to see a positive end to the season.
“I was there at the back-end of the previous season and I knew it was going to be a tough build and a tough ask because of where the club was at and the distance now to the top clubs.
“And I think there’s still a gap so you need to be patient and give the new manager the chance to do his work, assess the squad, maybe affect the squad and bring players in.
“We’ll see how they go next year but they definitely finished on a positive note which was good to see. We’ll see what happens at the start of the season now.”
Chelsea have already confirmed their first signing of the Maresca era, with former Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo signing a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
