Ex-Barcelona manager installed favourite for Chelsea job amid Enzo Maresca sack warning
Xavi is the favourite to replace Enzo Maresca as Chelsea boss as doubts linger around his position in charge at Stamford Bridge right now.
Maresca has led Chelsea to Conference League and Club World Cup glory in 2025, but their inconsistent form this season has seen doubts arise around his future as their manager.
The Blues are fourth in the Premier League as it stands and have lost ground on the teams above them after a recent run of three games without a win.
Maresca hinted at internal tension in his press conference after their win against Everton on Saturday, saying the previous two days had been “the hardest” since he had joined the club due to “so many” people not supporting him and the team.
Sources have exclusively told Football Insider that Chelsea’s board will not be happy with Maresca after he doubled down on his comments on Monday, with Xavi believed to be in pole position to replace him at Stamford Bridge if his sacking is confirmed soon.
Xavi leads Chelsea next manager odds ahead of Marco Silva, Liam Rosenior and Andoni Iraola
Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi has been out of management since he was sacked by the Catalan giants in May 2024 after two-and-a-half years in charge.
He led Barca to the 2022-23 La Liga title and made them a genuine force again by promoting youth players and a stricter rules system behind the scenes.
The bookmakers’ latest odds have him as the favourite to be the next Chelsea manager, at 5/1, ahead of the boss of their local rivals Fulham, Marco Silva, who comes in at 6/1.
Liam Rosenior is doing a good job in charge of Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, so follows close behind at a price of 7/1.
A Premier League trio of Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Unai Emery are all next up at 8/1, while the bookies have priced Napoli boss Antonio Conte at 12/1 to make a surprise return to Stamford Bridge.
Danny Murphy has warned Maresca about his future after press conference bombshell
Maresca is clearly not happy with something behind the scenes at Chelsea right now, but what has not been made very clear is the person or feeling that he is actually annoyed with.
It feels like a peculiar time in his career and in the context of this campaign for him to be whipping up rumours of discontent at Stamford Bridge, and pundit Danny Murphy has insisted that the Italian boss needs to be wary of being so public with his grievances.
Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “He’s got to be careful. I think you have to realise that, with the owners he’s working for and the club he’s working for, he’s been given an amazing opportunity to manage a massive football club after only managing Leicester.
“Did he expect to gain control because he won the Conference League? Let’s put it into perspective…he’s got to be careful.
“Football is ruthless. These are multi-billionaire owners, and if they feel that their manager is talking directly to them through the press, it’s not going to end well for him.”