Curious is a better way to describe Maresca’s demise than shocking because his exit from Stamford Bridge had been telegraphed. He leaves with two trophies on his record — the Conference League and the Club World Cup — and his contract was set to 2029, but if you’ve followed the past few weeks, you’ll know he and Chelsea were headed for divorce.
The Italian wouldn’t say what precisely was rattling his cage, but from the moment he described the 48 hours leading up to a Premier League win over Everton on December 13 as “the worst” of his career at Chelsea (swiftly followed by reports of Manchester City sizing him up as a Pep Guardiola replacement), the countdown started. Yesterday, a mutual parting of ways was announced.
This comes despite Maresca insisting he would be in charge of Chelsea next season, but when head coaches find themselves in a fix, they tend to say whatever is expedient (and sometimes simply say anything). In the end, he barely made it beyond 2025. Results suffered badly in the meantime, and seven points from seven league games leaves the club 15 points adrift of Arsenal.
Literally weeks ago, Maresca received the Premier League’s manager-of-the-month award for November, but plainly, all was not well. His reign is over and the search for the next man is on. Funnily enough, it might well be somebody Chelsea’s owners already know inside out.
Rosenior the replacement?
(Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
Maresca was a little like the awkward stepdad at Stamford Bridge. The crowd had good times with him, but they never loved him. What they’d think of Liam Rosenior as their next head coach — because there’s a strong chance it will be him — is anyone’s guess.
In Rosenior’s favour, he’s done good work in 18 months as Strasbourg’s head coach. They’ve made strides in Ligue 1 and Europe. He’s young and he’s bright, but at this juncture, that doesn’t necessarily qualify him for one of the biggest Premier League posts.
It just so happens that Strasbourg are controlled by the same owners as Chelsea, making Rosenior’s mooted appointment rather convenient. Anybody who feels sceptical about Chelsea’s overall strategy — the voracious appetite for signing emerging talent, creating a revolving door at Stamford Bridge — is unlikely to take it as read that 41-year-old Rosenior is the man for the job.
As for Maresca, it remains to be seen if his dance with Chelsea is enough of an audition for him to succeed Guardiola at the Etihad, if and when the time comes. City like him and Maresca informed Chelsea that he spoke with them three times towards the end of 2025 (he was contractually obliged to be open about it). Events at Stamford Bridge leave us none the wiser about whether Maresca and the most successful English club of the past decade would be a marriage made in heaven.
News round-up
Europe’s transfer window is officially open and Crystal Palace will complete the £35m ($47m) purchase of Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur shortly. He travelled for a medical yesterday.
Palace are without USMNT defender Chris Richards after he was injured in their Carabao Cup defeat by Arsenal last month, but the encouraging news for them and Mauricio Pochettino is that the 25-year-old should return to contention by mid-January.
Columbus Crew are close to naming Swede Henrik Rydstrom as their new head coach. The former Malmo boss will replace Wilfried Nancy, who quit to join Celtic in Scotland.
Staying up? Sunderland and Leeds show they might buck trend of yo-yo clubs
(X/@SkySportsPL)
The first batch of Premier League results in 2026 could be best described as hungover: a 1-1 draw between Crystal Palace and Fulham, and three goalless draws elsewhere. Those of you who spent New Year’s Day at work will know the feeling.
But beneath the bland scorelines was a welcome story for England’s top division: namely, that this season, promoted clubs are making a fist of it again. We’ve gone through consecutive years in which all three teams who came up to the league dropped like a stone immediately, and it’s no bad thing to see Leeds United and Sunderland bucking the trend.
Leeds have been cooking since Daniel Farke switched to three at the back, and a six-game unbeaten run is giving them every chance of staying up. True, they got away with a bizarre miss from Hugo Ekitike, above, at Liverpool yesterday (the goal’s that way, Hugo), but Leeds’ defensive resistance was a positive indictment of their decision to go after physically competitive players in the summer.
Sunderland’s stalemate at home against Manchester City was more creditable again, and vindication of their approach to the transfer market is the fact that departures to the Africa Cup of Nations haven’t knocked them out of their stride. With 29 points, they’re as good as safe — at a stage of the season where too many promoted teams before them were in deep trouble, or as good as down.
We’ve hit the midway point of 2025-26, and our half-term Premier League report cards read enthusiastically for Leeds and Sunderland. Not so Wolverhampton Wanderers or West Ham United, who really are stewing in their own juices.
Gabon ‘disgrace’: Government bans stars and ‘dissolves’ coaching staff after AFCON exit
The group stage at the Africa Cup of Nations is complete, and Simon Hughes’ observation that the action so far has been a little flat is more than fair. If the tournament is destined to be remembered for its upsets, we’re yet to see them.
AFCON, though, has a knack of creating drama any which way, and Gabon’s early exit without a whimper has caused one hell of a stir. They finished pointless at the bottom of Group F and they’re suffering the consequences back home.
Gabon’s government reacted furiously, calling the team’s performance “disgraceful” and suspending the national team, whatever that means in practice. It also “dissolved” the coaching staff and banned two of the country’s biggest names from representing Gabon in future: captain Bruno Ecuele Manga (their leading appearance maker) and ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (their record goalscorer). It’s a real-life version of the ‘delete club’ meme.
FIFA will be watching developments closely because the world governing body, despite appearances, takes a dim view of direct government interference in football, but the high-and-mighty in Gabon aren’t for backing down, and nor is AFCON about to shed its penchant for politics any time soon.
Around The Athletic FC
Seb Stafford-Bloor has highlighted 10 players to keep an eye on in the transfer window. The one who interests me most is midfielder Ruben Neves. His contract in Saudi Arabia is running down and, at 28, he’s easily good enough for plenty of top-level European sides.
Quiz question: name the player with the most goals-plus-assists in the Premier League in each of the following calendar years — 1996, 2006 and 2016. Answers here later today, and in Monday’s TAFC.
Selected games (all AFCON – beIN Sports, Fubo, Fanatiz/Channel 4).
Today: Serie A: Cagliari vs Milan, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+, DAZN/DAZN.
Tomorrow: Premier League: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest, 7.30am/12.30pm — USA Network/Sky Sports; Bournemouth vs Arsenal, 12.30pm/5.30pm — NBC, Peacock Premium/Sky Sports; Scottish Premiership: Celtic vs Rangers, 7.30am/12.30pm — CBS, Fubo/Sky Sports; AFCON last 16: Senegal vs Sudan, 11am/4pm; Mali vs Tunisia, 2pm/7pm; La Liga: Espanyol vs Barcelona, 3pm/8pm — ESPN/Disney+.
Sunday: Premier League: Leeds United vs Manchester United, 7.30am/12.30pm — USA Network/TNT Sports; Fulham vs Liverpool, 10am/3pm — USA Network/Sky Sports; Manchester City vs Chelsea, 12.30pm/5.30pm — NBC, Peacock Premium/Sky Sports; AFCON last 16: Morocco vs Tanzania, 11am/4pm; South Africa vs Cameroon, 2pm/7pm; La Liga: Real Madrid vs Real Betis, 10.15am/3.15pm — ESPN, Fubo/Premier Sports; Serie A: Inter vs Bologna, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+, DAZN/TNT Sports, DAZN; Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain vs Paris FC, 2.45pm/7.45pm — beIN Sports, Fubo, Fanatiz/Amazon Prime.
And finally…
(X/@LUFC)
This, above, is Leeds’ German midfielder, Anton Stach, finishing Crystal Palace off at Elland Road on December 20. What you’ll notice about his free kick is that from 18 yards, he dips it not only under the crossbar but comfortably into the bottom third of the net after clearing the defensive wall.
The levels of control aren’t accidental. Michael Cox told me something I didn’t know by explaining how the design of the new ball introduced by the Premier League this season is contributing to a glut of clever or spectacular goals. In short, a total of 12 panels on the new Puma ball as opposed to four on the old Nike version alters the aerodynamics. Call me a sad case, but I love these little nuggets of info.