‘Invaluable’—Enzo Maresca Keeps Ownership Tension Simmering With Chelsea Transfer Plea

Maresca outlined the type of player which inspires disagreements.

Enzo Maresca has seemingly been at odds with Chelsea’s ownership in the last week. / Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

After a week of an entirely self-inflicted scrutiny over his relationship with the club’s upper management, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca kept this hot topic aflame by lauding the “invaluable” impact of balancing the squad with senior players, which, he admitted, goes against the ideals of his bosses.

It’s been a wild seven days for Maresca. A routine win over Everton, qualification for the Carabao Cup semifinals and an inspired comeback at Newcastle United’s daunting St James’ Park have been firmly overshadowed by the drama inspired solely by the Italian manager.

What began with a question about Malo Gusto’s form escalated into a cryptic swipe from Maresca at the “worst 48 hours” of his Chelsea tenure after facing a lack of support from “many people.” A staunch refusal to explain these comments opened the door to wild speculation, which was only ramped up by reports that Manchester City consider Maresca to be a suitable replacement for Pep Guardiola.

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Chelsea’s manager firmly played down those City rumours, saving this weekend’s controversy for the question of seniority.

“When you have 20 and 21-year-olds and a player who is 30 or 31, and he starts to say something to them, it’s invaluable. But it’s the strategy of the club,” Maresca lamented to TNT Sports before his young starting XI shipped two first-half goals.

At 28, goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was the oldest player on the pitch for the Blues this weekend. Tosin Adarabioyo, who turned 28 in September, is the oldest player in Maresca’s Premier League squad, which includes 12 players aged 21 or under.

Reece James (centre) spearheaded the comeback against Newcastle. / ANDY BUCHANAN/AFPGetty Images

Just as they did last season, Chelsea comfortably boast the youngest squad in the Premier League, with an average age of 24.7. In the season before the club’s current ownership took charge (2021–22), the Blues ranked 15th in this metric (27.4 years young).

This is not by chance. As Maresca outlined, the club have undergone a very deliberate transfer strategy focused exclusively on youth. Chelsea haven’t spent money on a player over the age of 25 since co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley joined the club in 2022.

It would be unfair to paint Maresca as a José Mourinho-esque figure distrustful of youth. “I love the squad, I love young players,” he insisted earlier this week. However, he has once again made it abundantly clear that he has no influence over the profile of players he is tasked with leading to glory. “I just focus on what I can control—pitch-side,” he clarified, “knowing that there is always noise you need to manage.”

Chelsea Player Ratings: Epic Comeback Staged in Tyneside Thriller. dark. Next. Chelsea Ratings vs. Newcastle

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Chelsea Signings Since 2023–24

Player Age	Transfer Fees Spent
18	€95.9 million
19	€170.6 million
20	€94.6 million
21	€46.2 million
22	€60 million
23	€63.7 million
24	€117.9 million
25	€35.4 million

Data via Transfermarkt.

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Maresca’s Message to Chelsea Squad

Enzo Maresca’s press conferences have been box office lately. / Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Rather than dwell on the insipid first-half display which could very well have seen Chelsea enter the dressing room with more than a two-goal deficit to overturn, Maresca focused on the positives of the second-half showing.

“My message at the end of the game is, for sure in the first half we could do better, but the character they showed in the second half should make them proud,” he told assembled media.

When pushed on how he has dealt with the past seven days, Maresca ignored the screaming subtext. “My last week has not been complicated. It has been good,” he claimed.

“We beat Everton, we beat Cardiff and we drew Newcastle away. So in terms of results, I am happy. Again, there are things that for sure we can do better. But I think we are going in the right direction.”

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