Chelsea fans can expect plenty of passion and commitment from new boss Enzo Maresca.
That’s the view of former Leicester City winger Marc Albrighton who worked under the Italian during the Foxes’ Championship title-winning campaign last season.
Maresca landed the Leicester job in 2023 after a stint as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager during Manchester City’s historic Treble winning season.
The 44-year-old guided the Foxes to automatic promotion at the first time of asking following their relegation 12-months earlier.
His heroics in the East Midlands landed him a switch to west London with Chelsea keen to hand Maresca his first shot at managing a top-six club.
Fan-favourite Albrighton, managed just 18 appearances across all competitions under Maresca during his final year at the King Power Stadium, however, the 34-year-old gave a glowing account of his former manager and listed the attributes he will bring to Chelsea.
“I think they can expect somebody that’s very passionate about the way that he plays,” the 2016 Premier League title winner told talkSPORT. “From the day he came in at Leicester he worked on this one way of playing and the whole time he was there, we never moved away from that.
“Every drill we did in training was set out in the positions that he wanted to build up from.
“They can expect passion and commitment. He was at the training ground from early hours until the evening. He was always the last one there.
“He’ll give everything to that job because he loves football. He loves the style of play and the new ideas.
“With the job he’s job and the opportunity, he’ll be trying everything in his power to make it work.”
Maresca will be Chelsea’s fourth permanent manager since an ownership group led by Todd Boehly took control of the club in May 2022.
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Chelsea appear ready to change their scattergun approach to managers after handing the Italian a whopping five-year contract.
However, Albrighton believes Maresca must impose himself quickly on both the players and the hierarchy to help unite the club as quickly as possible.
“He’s going into a club where there’s a lot of players to keep happy,” he added. “I know what a football dressing room is like and that’s half the battle a lot of the time in keeping everyone happy.
“If you can keep everyone onside by doing the right things then you’re halfway there.
“He will have to impose himself on that side of things as well [club chiefs]. It’s a massive job for him but one that after having the season he’s had with Leicester City, he’ll feel he deserves that step up.”
Chelsea begin the season with the daunting task of hosting defending champions Manchester City.
Before that, though, they will get an idea of where they are when they face each other in a pre-season friendly on 3 August. Leicester, meanwhile, are up against Tottenham.