![[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 8, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca before a semifinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Perobelli-Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_588,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/388/01kgq8scw0mw49z6ddgk.jpg "[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 8, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca before a semifinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amanda Perobelli-Reuters via Imagn Images")
In the high-octane theatre of English football, the 'Return of the Messiah' cliché is a trope that never fails to sell. Why? It touches on fan emotion, their thoughts and innermost feelings. The latest (supposed) whispers from the King Power suggest Leicester City have reached for the ultimate reawakening option: Enzo Maresca.
"The Italian has been out of work since his dismissal by Chelsea since being sacked on New Year's Day, but his appetite for a return has never dimmed.SportsBoom
Behind the scenes, he has made it clear he is ready, waiting and convinced unfinished business remains. Leicester, even in chaos, seems to still have appeal."
Following Marti Cifuentes' exit and a slide to 17th in the Championship, reports from SportsBoom (not high tier at all on fan lists) claim bosses in the East Midlands have "contacted" the Italian regarding a sensational return. And the narrative being spun is nothing short of intoxicating.
A fabled Leicester City comeback?
Maresca reportedly feels that he has "unfinished business" on Filbert Way after his 2024 departure for Chelsea. The Foxes have allegedly dangled a lucrative, incentive-heavy though short-term deal in an attempt to tempt the man who choreographed their English Football League Championship title win.
The cold water impact of reality
However, the romanticism quickly hits the immovable wall of reality. Leicester Mercury journalist and realist Jordan Blackwell explains that any rescue mission is highly unlikely, in spite of longevity. While chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (Khun Top) remains enamored with the 'Maresca template', Blackwell notes that Maresca’s stock has soared. Meaning a return feels fanciful.
After winning the Club World Cup with Chelsea and apparently having Manchester City as suitors, tier two would be akin to a staggering professional regression.
Furthermore, the unfinished business argument or quote rings hollow: the 45-year-old realised his LCFC mission.
"Leicester City Football Club, also increasingly dubbed 'Tone-Deaf FC' among its own disillusioned supporters, are ready to baffle and bamboozle the Blue Army once again. Time and time again - they get it drastically wrong. "Foxes of Leicester editor
Returning to a club mired in a different kind of crisis (diluted tactical DNA) is a risk his soaring reputation doesn't need. For now, this reunion looks less like a homecoming and more like a beautiful but desperate distraction. Unfortunately, this outlet is almost certain that the worst possible choice will be made: Russell Martin.