New Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has revealed how the “solid foundation” at the club was enough to convince him to leave Manchester City and take up the challenge at the King Power Stadium.
Maresca has been speaking to Tutto Juve, who contacted the Italian to speak about former club Juventus and his move to the Foxes.
Maresca was confirmed as Leicester’s new manager this week, becoming the permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers after Dean Smith’s services were not retained following relegation.
He’s been tasked with reshaping the squad and getting Leicester back to the Premier League at the first of asking after a disastrous campaign saw them relegated on the final day of the season.
He arrives after a success spell as assistant manager at Manchester City, who he joined in July last year as a replacement for Juanma Lillo.
That proved to be a smart move for him as Manchester City went on to win the treble this season, including their first Champions League trophy.
Leaving for Leicester, then, is something of a bold choice from the 43-year-old but he says the foundations at the club and plans to build for the future lured him to the Foxes.
“Leicester is a club with very solid foundations, the goal is to create something important over time,” he told TuttoJuve when they contacted him to discuss his move.
Whether Maresca can prove to be a success at Leicester remains to be seen and will surely be dependent on how this summer window goes.
It’s likely to be a busy window for him and the Foxes, with several big names likely to depart and something of an overhaul of the squad needed given the high wages and financial issues at the club.
Former Pep Guardiola disciples tend to do well in the Championship, though, as Vincent Kompany proved with Burnley this season and both Maresca and Leicester will be hoping they can tap into that too next season.