Roberto de Zerbi has just proven Todd Boehly right over Enzo Maresca Chelsea manager decision

There were plenty of names in the frame to take over as the new Chelsea manager when Mauricio Pochettino left Stamford Bridge in the summer. In the end Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital made the decision to appoint Enzo Maresca.

And it looks to have been a shrewd appointment, with Chelsea flying high under the Italian early on in the season. The Blues are fourth in the Premier League table after ten games, sitting seven points off leaders Liverpool.

Getting back into the Champions League would have been the main aim for Maresca and his bosses this season, having had to settle for UEFA Conference League football this year. Even that had looked a long way off until a fine run of results at the end of the season that eventually meant Pochettino's dismissal was somewhat surprising.

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The likes of Kieran McKenna and Roberto de Zerbi were linked with the Chelsea job before Maresca was chosen to be the main man. But former Brighton man de Zerbi may just have shown why he was not the man for Boehly, to lead the Blues forward.

De Zerbi eventually went to Marseille in Ligue Un and they are currently second in the table, six points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. PSG do, however, have a game in hand, suggesting the title race might already be over.

When appointing Maresca, Chelsea clearly opted for a head coach. Pochettino wanted a bit more say in how things were run behind the scenes, which was not how Boehly and Clearlake wanted things.

And de Zerbi would have been another, like Pochettino, who would have wanted more input, would have been only too happy to speak his mind. He might well have just shown that his fiery character would not have been suited to Chelsea.

After a disappointing home defeat to Auxerre, de Zerbi said: "I have to take responsibility for this home defeat. We have difficulties at home, that's clear.

"I don't know if it's a lack of courage or personality. I came here to play at the Velodrome because I wanted to live the experience. If the problem is me, I'm ready to leave.

"I live for things that transcend football. I repeat, if I'm the problem, I have to leave.

"Money is nothing to me. It's the gratification of the work that is important. I don't have bad things to say about my players. If I leave, I leave my heart, my soul."