Liverpool hero John Barnes names who should replace Enzo Maresca at Chelsea

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Liverpool legend John Barnes has named the manager who should take over at Chelsea following the departure of Enzo Maresca earlier this week following a falling out

Enzo Maresca left Chelsea earlier this week(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)

Liverpool legend John Barnes says Chelsea should turn to a former player to replace Enzo Maresca after the Spaniard left the Stamford Bridge side earlier this week.

Maresca and Chelsea agreed that his position was untenable amid tension behind the scenes, with an official statement confirming his exit on Thursday. And Barnes believes the right man might have played for the Blues in the past.

"I'm surprised that Enzo Maresca has been sacked, because I thought he was doing a good job at Chelsea," Barnes told Covers. "I believed he was going to be the one who got it right there.

"There’s always been a question of whether the players they signed over the summer were his choices or not, so I think whoever becomes the next manager needs to accept that approach and just get results.

"There’s talk of Liam Rosenior coming in, who’s doing a very good job at Strasbourg, but it’s going to be very difficult for him to come into a club like Chelsea.

"He’ll likely accept the status quo and not have much power. That’s not a good thing for a young manager, and I believe he needs more time before taking on a job like that.

Cesc Fabregas has started his managerial career(Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)

"Another option is Cesc Fabregas. Despite the fact that he’s a young manager, he has a history with Chelsea, which is very important.

"The fans loved him and he’s done very well at Como, so I think he would be the right fit to come in at the club.

"I don’t think any big-name manager — who will prefer to have more control — will want to take a chance by going to Stamford Bridge, so Fabregas fits the bill in that respect too.

"I believe Fabregas will be the favorite to come in. Whether he needs more time at Como or not I’m not sure, but I think he’ll be the one Chelsea end up selecting."

Fabregas has done a very good job in Italy and is seemingly destined to become a top-level coach. A move to Chelsea, though, would be a risk for any head coach.

As Maresca has proven, even those who do a relatively good job in the circumstances have no guarantee of things working out in the long term.

Though there will be managers keen to take the role, some might look at Chelsea as a chaotic club that is worth avoiding. Under Todd Boehly, things have rarely been stable.