Co-sporting directors at Chelsea shocked by Maresca's rapid adaptation to manager role, says Ansser Sadiq

The Italian's appointment by the club came as a surprise in the summer, considering he had only served as a head coach at Championship side Leicester City for a year, during which he helped them secure promotion to the Premier League.

Now that Maresca has made an impressive start to life as a Blue, the duo are happy with their choice.

They stated to The Telegraph that Maresca “has got the personality to manage this club.”

“Enzo was somebody we admired and were keen to bring here,” said Winstanley. 

“We were really excited by the way he works, aligned with the club and the playing squad, how it’s set up to move forwards. And we absolutely see him here for the long term, that’s definitely how we see it.

“He’s got the personality to manage this club and coach this team, and he’s got a strong belief in the playing style, as we have. And that’s translating to the pitch, it’s translating to the players. The players have got a belief in that. So, none of us are surprised that he’s grasped it quite quickly, but it’s early days and we’ve got to keep that momentum going.”

Stewart said: “As Paul said, we do see it for the long term. He has a five-year contract, that’s what Enzo signed and now he needs a period of time to work with the group and continue to confirm his ideas about his way of playing and for the players to understand that. It’s still very early days.”