Following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca has been heavily linked with the Chelsea job. With the potential that Italian could depart, we look at three potential replacements Leicester City could target.
In his time at the East Midlands outfit, the Italian saw great success. The 44-year-old installed the philosophy of his mentor Pep Guardiola; possession-based football. This led the Foxes to win the Championship and go straight back up to the Premier League following their relegation last year.
Due to Guardiola’s success and influence across the world, every club wants to play his style. This has led to Vincent Kompany being linked with European giants Bayern Munich and Chelsea seeking this archetype. As for Leicester, will they look for a new style or something similar to last season?
Graham Potter
Despite his tenure at Chelsea, Graham Potter is still a highly-rated manager. His spell at the Blues was dominated by club politics as new owner Todd Boehly seemed to control transfers. At Brighton, the Englishman would bring the club into top-half contention with a brilliant start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Brighton were looking like Man City with their first goal against Spurs yesterday 👏pic.twitter.com/2L2E9rAU0Y
— GOAL (@goal) February 1, 2021
As for Leicester, Potter plays a similar style to the departing Maresca. In 2021/22, Brighton transformed into a possession-based side; making the sixth most passes in the league.
Throughout the season, his side would become committed to tactical flexibility depending on the opposition. Evidence to suggest this is their use of 13 different formations in 38 league games.
Now as a free agent and ready for a new challenge, Leicester City would be a perfect move. Expectations for the Foxes are low, therefore he has less pressure than other options. There is also a high-quality squad, that with the right manager can survive the Premier League.
Carlos Corberán
After proving his brilliance in the Championship, is Carlos Corberán ready for the Premier League? The Spaniard managed Huddersfield to the play-off final following a third-placed finish. However, he would lose the final to Nottingham Forest.
For West Brom, the 41-year-old had a tight budget and limited quality compared to his competitors. Despite this, Corberán would guide the Baggies to a fifth-placed finish. This saw his side beating out the likes of Hull City and Coventry City, who were backed financially significantly more.
In his time at the West Midlands side, he has effectively displayed his style. A high press from the front is deployed to lead to mistakes from the opposition. Defensively, they set up with a low block, which has been one of the most compact and disciplined in the league. Evidence to suggest this is Alex Palmer leading the clean sheet tally at 18.
With a unique and adaptive style, Corberán could be a great option.
David Moyes
With a wealth of experience and coming off a strong West Ham tenure, David Moyes could be a superb appointment. The Scotsman’s Everton career was majorly successful, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson impressed. However, he would go on to struggle at Manchester United, as a result knocking his confidence. Then at future jobs like Real Sociedad and Sunderland, the Scotsman would fall short of expectations.
In more recent years, Moyes would see success at West Ham. The East-London-based side would achieve consecutive top-seven finishes and win the Europa Conference League. Although he brought the club their first piece of silverware in 43 years, he would leave the club at the end of the most recent campaign.
The style under Moyes is reminiscent of Brendan Rodgers’ time at the Foxes. Overlapping full-backs, adaptive systems and counter-attacks are similar features of their sides. Despite the two styles matching, prominent figures of the triumph under Rodgers have left such as James Maddison and Youri Tielemans. Therefore, it may be difficult for Leicester to revert to previous ways.
Writer’s View
Overall, all options available are impressive considering the circumstances. Graham Potter’s ideology matches Maresca the most and offers an adaptable approach that the Italian couldn’t provide.
Conversely, Carlos Corberán is a more inexperienced option, with high potential given his sensational stats. In contrast, David Moyes is a safer option. His experience and accolades would make him best suited to keep Leicester City up next season.