Asmir Begovic has made an early prediction about which Chelsea player will be the most important next season under Enzo Maresca.
From the noise in the media, all roads lead towards Enzo Maresca becoming the new head coach at Stamford Bridge. Admittedly, this still hasn’t been confirmed by the club yet.
The Evening Standard reports Maresca is in prime position to land the vacant job in the Chelsea dugout. Apparently, Blues co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have been seriously impressed by the 44-year-old Leicester City manager during this search.
Asmir Begovic tips Chelsea player for key role under Enzo Maresca
QPR goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who previously spent two years at Chelsea, played against Maresca’s title-winning Leicester side a couple of times in the Championship this season.
Speaking with Alex Goldberg via Playback, Begovic explained that Leicester’s deep-lying midfielder Harry Winks was the glue to the Foxes side.
He’s suggested that Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez would be most likely to replicate that role under Maresca next season. Alternatively, Blues teammate Moises Caicedo could work in the deeper No 6 midfield position to dictate possession.
When asked who will be the most important Chelsea player under Maresca, Begovic said: “I think the most important player, if you look at the Leicester side, was Harry Winks. He was that midfielder who kept everything flowing like a pivot man and connected the backline to the forwards.
“I guess we are talking about Fernandez or Caicedo? Who’s going to be that pivot player? Who’s going to be that guy who is really going to get on the ball a lot and force some of those passes?
“He really likes that No 6 who’s really important to balance things out. He expects a lot of them… I think that pivot player, whoever he decides he wants that to be, is going to be massively important… I would imagine Fernandez would be that logical solution for that position.”
Enzo Fernandez could thrive next season
The Chelsea Chronicle predicts that Fernandez could be back to his best next year with this imminent change of management.
Unfortunately, the technical central midfielder didn’t play his best stuff under Mauricio Pochettino. The 23-year-old was often caught in-between attacking and defending.
It could be great to see the Argentine pass master become the heartbeat of the side and play the Winks position.
If you want to consider a different option, Romeo Lavia is a Blues midfielder who’s press-resistant and could play a No 6 position effectively as well.