Cucurella breaks dressing room silence on Maresca sack as true feelings clear

Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has thanked Enzo Maresca in an emotional farewell message after the Blues confirmed their decision to part ways with the Italian head coach.

Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has publicly shared his appreciation to Enzo Maresca following the Italian's departure from Stamford Bridge as the club's manager. The Blues announced they had parted ways with the Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League-winning boss on New Year's Day, just days after a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

That result left Chelsea sitting in fifth position in the Premier League standings before the crucial clash with title hopefuls Manchester City on Sunday. Maresca's time at the helm has come to an end after his switch from Leicester City, with the 45-year-old experiencing both triumph and disappointment during his spell in west London.

However, mounting pressure both on and off the field over recent weeks had intensified scrutiny on his position. Cucurella is now among the first squad members to publicly back the outgoing manager, as the Chelsea hierarchy begin their hunt for a permanent boss.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Cucurella expressed his appreciation for the departing head coach, sending his best wishes amid growing speculation linking Maresca with the Man City job moving forward.

"Thank you for everything, mister, and to your staff. For the work and the trust from day one, and for the memories," Cucurella wrote.

"Wishing you all the best in what comes next. Good luck, boss!"

Maresca's remarks following the club's win over Everton exposed tensions brewing behind-closed-doors. His defiant statements came in the aftermath of their 2-0 triumph against the Toffees, which brought an end to a disappointing streak of four games without victory.

He said: "The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

Following that, Chelsea secured their progression into the next stage of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory over Cardiff City, yet they have now endured three fixtures without a win.

During that time, they were forced to mount a comeback from two goals behind to salvage a draw at Newcastle United. That's before surrendering their single-goal advantage in a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa.

football.london have reported that Maresca's advisors had held initial talks with Man City while the Italian remained in post, with the 45-year-old informing Chelsea due to his contractual obligations, amid growing speculation around Pep Guardiola's long-term commitment at the Etihad Stadium. However, the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge viewed it as an unwelcome distraction during a busy period for the club.

The Londoners are striving to advance in the Champions League, where they're battling to secure a spot in the automatic knockout stages, and currently trail Liverpool by two points in fourth place.