Enzo Maresca, 2023-2024
Leicester City Football Club announced the appointment of Maresca as their new First Team Manager on 16 June, 2023. Enzo, 43, agreed a contract at King Power Stadium to 2026 and began work immediately in preparation for the new EFL Championship season.
The Italian arrived in Leicester having most recently worked as first team coach with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, whom he helped to a Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League treble in 2022/23.
Both as a player and a coach, Maresca’s football education was influenced by some of Europe’s finest managers, including Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi. Having started his coaching journey in Italy with Ascoli in 2017, Maresca impressed as an assistant coach at West Ham United under Manuel Pellegrini.
He was appointed to lead Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad in 2020 and duly delivered the Premier League 2 title, before returning to Italy to take up a head coaching role at Parma. He returned to City in 2022 to join Guardiola’s staff as first team coach.
Maresca will be able to call on experience of English football’s second tier from his earliest days as a player. Having come through the ranks at AC Milan and Cagliari, he eventually made his professional debut West Bromwich Albion aged 18 and featured during two seasons for the Baggies.
He continued a decorated career in Italy, Spain and Greece with clubs including Juventus, Sevilla, Olympiakos and Malaga. He retired from playing in 2017 as a Scudetto winner with Juventus in 2002, a Copa del Rey winner with Sevilla in 2007 and a two-time UEFA Cup winner with Sevilla (2006 and 2007).
Maresca's tenure began with several signings, including Conor Coady, Harry Winks and Stephy Mavididi. Following a pre-season which featured a tour of Thailand and Singapore, the Italian oversaw a record-breaking start to life in the Sky Bet Championship. For the first time in the Club's history, Leicester won their first six competitive fixtures - four in the league and two in the cup. It was a start which earned Maresca the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for August.
Another MOTM award followed in October, with six wins out of six that month, as the Foxes reached the table's summit. The excellent form continued over the winter spell with City winning 19 points from a possible 21 in December, earning Maresca a third MOTM prize of the campaign and opening up a 10-point lead at the top of the table.
2024 would prove tougher for the Italian and his Leicester side, with a relentless chasing pack keeping tabs on their progress. At one point, in March, City lost their place in the top two and fears started to set in that they wouldn't get over the line. Maresca, though, remained true to his ideas and three huge victories in late April - over Birmingham City, Southampton and Preston North End - would not only end in promotion but also the Championship title.
On Monday 3 June, 2024, the Club confirmed the departure of Maresca as First Team Manager.