Chelsea are set to launch a legal complaint over Manchester City’s pursuit of former head coach Enzo Maresca, unless the Manchester club cough up some compensation.
Allegations were made against Maresca that he had spoken with City while still at Stamford Bridge, which left Chelsea officials furious.
Now, with Maresca primed to replace the outgoing Pep Guardiola, action may be taken if the two clubs cannot agree on compensation. If they don’t agree, Chelsea could complain to the Premier League, which would investigate the matter.
Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali said at a sports congress: “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.”
He also conceded that the upheaval has disrupted performances on the pitch.
“It’s a change that’s had a bit of a negative impact on the season, when you’re changing systems and personnel,” Eghbali added. “And it’s one we’ve got to fight our way out of.”
Maresca’s exit came as a major surprise with little explanation given at the time. But reports understand the Italian’s relationship with Chelsea chiefs fell apart in December and descended into a war of words.
Things went downhill when Maresca claimed he suffered his “worst 48 hours” at Stamford Bridge because of a lack of support following a defeat in the Champions League against Atalanta.
The Italian had allegedly also ignored advice from the club’s medical department about how long to keep players on the pitch, before the bombshell dropped about him being in discussion with Man City and Juventus.
Maresca’s camp insisted at the time that they had made the Blues aware of the discussions with other clubs.