“I’ll be surprised if Maresca is still manager come end of the season” - Jamie Carragher expresses concern about Chelsea; shares Cole Palmer doubt

Football pundit Jamie Carragher said he would be surprised to see Enzo Maresca remain as the Chelsea manager at the end of the upcoming season. He highlighted how the pre-season did not go to plan and was worried for the Italian tactician's future.

Carragher further added that starting the Premier League season against Manchester City could further compound Maresca's problems. The former Liverpool defender believes Cole Palmer may also not be able to replicate his last season's form.

He opined on The Overlap on Sky Sports:

"The way Chełsea's pre-season has gone… they've got Man City first game of the season… I'll be surprised if Maresca is still the manager come the end of the season, very surprised."

"My worry for Chełsea is that Pochettino deserves a lot of credit for how Palmer performed last season. No one expected that, not even Pep, otherwise he wouldn't have sold him. So they might not have that Cole Palmer this season. I'm sure they will because I think he's fantastic but a new manager has come in so it's different," he added.

Chelsea appointed former Leicester City manager Maresca after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine was appointed at the helm just last summer, but was sacked despite a strong end to the season.

Williams Gallas also has doubts over Enzo Maresca at Chelsea

Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has also cast doubt over the future of Enzo Maresca. He hopes to see the manager last the season, at least, at Stamford Bridge and told Genting Casino:

"Could Enzo Maresca be sacked before Christmas? Anything can happen in football. I hope to see him stay until at least the end of the season and get that opportunity to show what he can do but it's always going to be the same problem, if he doesn't have the right players and team to compete in the Premier League then it will be incredibly difficult for him."

"Not just with Chełsea but all Premier League owners, they have no patience anymore. Maybe Arsenal did with Mikel Arteta and Manchester United are with Erik ten Hag, but most aren't thinking about the long term. Managers now come in for six months or a year, I hope that Chełsea move away from that and stick with Maresca for the long term," he added.

Enzo Maresca stated in a recent interview that he was approached by another Premier League side this summer but he opted to join Chelsea instead.