
Chelsea may reportedly struggle to land a replacement for Enzo Maresca as one exciting candidate is not interested in the job.
The manager in question is Porto head coach Francesco Farioli, who is not currently keen on moving to the Premier League, and particularly to Chelsea’s current project.
That’s according to a report from Portuguese outlet O Jogo, which also states that Farioli has a €15m buy-out clause in his contract.
Porto fans will certainly be glad to hear that the talented young Italian tactician is keen to stay, as he boasts a hugely impressive 84.62% win record with the club.
This news on Farioli follows some claims doing the rounds earlier that numerous managers had already turned down the job at Stamford Bridge today.
See below as Simon Phillips responded to the news, saying “of course” there’s going to be a problem attracting top managers to Chelsea right now…
Of course they have. They’d have been just like us this last week or so watching this absolute shambles unravel in the media and thinking they want nothing to do with it. I truly fear who we will end up with at this point.
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) January 1, 2026
That post didn’t mention any specific names, but it could be that Farioli was someone the Blues sounded out over replacing Maresca.
The 36-year-old could fit the bill for this CFC project as he looks to be doing well at the moment, whilst also being young enough that he’ll surely continue to improve as a manager.
One imagines Farioli has it in him to get a top job in a more competitive league before too long, but it seems Chelsea won’t be able to hire him now.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is really appreciated inside Stamford Bridge, and he’d make sense as an internal hire as he’s already at another BlueCo club…
?? Chelsea will appoint new manager very soon, not gonna take weeks or long time. The club is now working on it.
Liam Rosenior, highly rated internally after excellent job at Strasbourg as he’s among contenders.
Decision to be made in days, won’t take long. ? pic.twitter.com/WefPgy7z7J
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 1, 2026
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claim that Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola could also be one name to watch after his impressive work in the Premier League.
? – Chelsea fans, where do you stand on who’s to blame for the club’s problems right now? ?? #CFC
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 1, 2026
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Your email address will not be published.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
FootXtra – Football News & Updates FootXtra brings you the latest football news, live updates, match previews, transfer stories, and in-depth analysis from leagues and tournaments around the world. Stay connected to the beautiful game every day.
Premier League



















Serie A

Bundesliga



Ligue 1







Primera Division

Championship

Primeira Liga





































Eredivisie















































































UEFA Champions League








