Chelsea did not want to lose Maresca
[BBC] Having spent significant time with Enzo Maresca during his 18 months at Chelsea, it is clear he would slot seamlessly into City. You would be hard pressed to find a coach more similar in style to Pep Guardiola, whom Maresca idolised while facing his Barcelona side as a player in La Liga. He transformed Chelsea into a possession-based side built on slow, patient build-up.
They lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in almost every match, although the fluid movement of players allowed them to adapt to opponents and keep them guessing from game to game. His final six months at Chelsea were marked by a fractured relationship with the club's ownership, who were aware of City's interest early in the season through the Italian's agent Jorge Mendes, alongside hearing his complaints over transfers at Stamford Bridge. Read more on Maresca and City Despite the tension, and partly blaming him for a drop in form that followed his mid-season exit and Chelsea's decline this season, the hierarchy respected much of his work with the players, and he remained popular with the majority of the dressing room.
That said, the London club say they are due compensation under the terms of Maresca's departure, and are exploring their legal options. Chelsea expect a compensation package to be paid by either Manchester City or the manager himself, but it remains unclear either how much or when it would be resolved. Maresca would argue that an agreement has only recently been reached with City and this is the basis of ongoing legal discussions between the two parties.
Asked about his exit at CAA World Congress of Sports, influential Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali said last month: "The change wasn't the club's decision, for reasons I can't speak about legally. "I think the reasons will become kind of clear in due course. But no, it's not a change we wanted to make.
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