New year, new coach! Maresca becomes the first manager in Premier League history to leave a club on New Year's Day
This has never happened before
Football news
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Today, January 1, 2026, right after the New Year celebrations, English football was rocked by the news of Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca being sacked.
Details: According to Opta, Enzo Maresca has made Premier League history by becoming the first manager to leave his club on New Year's Day.
Maresca ends his tenure at Chelsea less than two years after his appointment, and now the club is forced to search for a new manager. Under the Italian coach, the London side won the Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Chelsea's next match will be against Manchester City on Sunday, January 4, with kick-off set for 18:30 Central European Time.
Reminder: Liam Rosenior from Strasbourg is the leading candidate to replace Maresca.
