New Leicester City boss sends ‘improve’ warning to Leeds United and Championship promotion rivals
The Foxes have appointed their new head coach ahead of the Championship campaign
Leicester has announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a deal running to 2026 – and he has pledged the club will ‘improve’ for the coming Championship promotion campaign. The Foxes, along with Leeds United, are one of the favorites to make an instant return to the Premier League following relegation last month.
The 43-year-old Italian arrives at the King Power Stadium having previously been working as part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City. Maresca succeeds Dean Smith, who failed to prevent Leicester from being relegated from the Premier League after taking charge for the final eight games of the 2022-23 season following Brendan Rodgers’ exit.
Maresca told Leicester’s official website: “I’m very excited because of the club (I’m joining) and because we have a big season ahead of us. In the beginning, the target is to play in the best way we can. From there, we can build, day by day, our idea and our philosophy, and the most important thing is to try to win games.
“First of all, we’re going to give 100 percent, absolutely, because the club deserves this. It’s our job, our duty to do that. Then, as I said, day by day, step by step, absolutely we’re going to improve.”
Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Enzo brings a combination of personality, method, and ambition that meets extremely well with the footballing direction we are looking to take. His philosophy has been built over a rich and varied career, including an outstanding education as a coach, and fits with the vision we have for this next chapter in Leicester City’s history.
“Enzo’s profile has stood out to us for some time – a feeling that was only enhanced upon meeting him and listening to his enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. I have no doubt he will be warmly welcomed by our supporters and that together we can reset the club’s course toward future success.”
Former West Brom, Juventus, Sevilla, Olympiacos, and Malaga midfielder Maresca, who had a stint as an assistant coach at West Ham under Manuel Pellegrini, returned to Manchester City last summer for a second spell with the club. He had previously been in charge of their elite development squad for the 2020-21 season, during which they won the Premier League 2 title, before departing for what proved a short tenure as Parma boss.
He leaves Guardiola’s treble winners for Leicester as the midlands outfit looks to swiftly bounce back after dropping down for the first Championship season since 2013-14, a relegation that came seven years on from their remarkable Premier League-winning campaign and two years after lifting the FA Cup.
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