Leicester appoint Enzo Maresca as manager on three-year deal

Enzo Maresca has left Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at treble-winning Man City to move to the King Power in a bid to help Leicester secure promotion from the Championship next season; the Italian, whose contract runs until 2026, succeeds Dean Smith after he failed to avoid relegation

Friday 16 June 2023 21:57, UK

Leicester have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a three-year deal.

Maresca has left Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at treble-winning Manchester City to move to the King Power in a bid to help Leicester secure promotion from the Championship next season.

The Italian succeeds Dean Smith, who was unable to save Leicester from relegation last season. Smith was given a short-term contract until the end of the campaign following Brendan Rodgers' departure in April.

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: "Enzo brings a combination of personality, method and ambition that meets extremely well with the footballing direction we are looking to take.

"His philosophy has been built over a rich and varied career, including an outstanding education as a coach, and fits with the vision we have for this next chapter in Leicester City's history.

"Enzo's profile has stood out to us for some time - a feeling that was only enhanced upon meeting him and listening to his enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. I have no doubt he will be warmly welcomed by our supporters and that together we can reset the club's course towards future success."

Maresca said: "I'm very excited because of the club [I'm joining] and because we have a big season ahead of us.

"At the beginning, the target is to play in the best way we can. From there, we can build, day by day, our idea and our philosophy, and the most important thing is to try to win games.

"First of all, we're going to give 100 per cent, absolutely, because the club deserves this. It's our job, our duty to do that. Then, as I said, day by day, step by step, absolutely we're going to improve."

Maresca to Leicester: Can success at Man City be replicated?

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

If a man is to be judged by the company that he keeps then it is no surprise Enzo Maresca is in demand. The assistant manager to Pep Guardiola also boasts a 30-year friendship with Roberto De Zerbi. He could learn more than most by accident.

But Maresca's knowledge of the game owes less to osmosis and more to a career spent at the top of the game. The former Juventus and Sevilla midfielder has been honing his coaching craft in Italy, Spain and England, growing his reputation.

De Zerbi has said that they share "similar ideas about how the game should be played" and Guardiola was impressed enough by his work with Manchester City's development team to bring him back to the club as his assistant when Juanma Lillo departed.

In winning the title with that U23 side, Maresca's work had caught the eye, according to Ceri Bowley, City's former head of coaching support. "He had a good group but you could see his impact in how they played and how they kicked on," Bowley tells Sky Sports.

"I was always impressed. He is a really humble guy. If he was not then Pep would not have had him. He has a very clear identity in terms of how he wants his team to play and is very good in how he communicates that to players. Really clear, really simple."