Enzo Maresca has been appointed Chelsea’s new head coach and will look to finally get the west London club’s proposed ‘project football’ up and running two years after their ambitious May 2022 takeover.

The Italian has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, with an option of a sixth as he looks to bring his winning mentality to Stamford Bridge after winning the Championship with Leicester City last term.

But the former Foxes boss won’t have the easiest of tasks stepping into Mauricio Pochettino’s shoes as he seeks to strike the right balance between crafting attractive, possession-based football and bringing top-four success back to the club.

As the 44-year-old gears up for intensive preparations ahead of welcoming his new side back for pre-season, Mail Sport assesses the most pressing items on his desk as he takes the hotseat.

Enzo’s No 1 issue

Enzo Maresca will need to assess Chelsea’s goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic, with his philosophy heavily reliant on his No 1 being comfortable at passing out from the back.

He had that in Mads Hermansen at Leicester, the summer signing who played more passes than any goalkeeper on record in Championship history last season.

Maresca’s goalkeeper will be expected to push up the pitch to complete the defensive line when his full back moves into midfield.

Bring the dressing room back on side

Chelsea’s players were hugely fond of Mauricio Pochettino, his departure leaving some devastated because he was such a personable man-manager. Maresca will need to get this group on board as soon as the non-internationals reconvene for pre-season at the start of July.

Chelsea are facing a long year of football, from their first scheduled friendly on July 24, 2024 until the very end of the Club World Cup on July 13, 2025.

Get his ideas across – and fast

Maresca was able to get his ideas across to Leicester’s players in no time and they already resembled a passable imitation of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for his first Championship game in charge against Coventry.

That involved Maresca making his new squad stay overnight at the training ground for an entire week at the start of pre-season to hammer home his ideas.

How clearly he can get his instructions across at Chelsea will be crucial if they are to hit the ground running under the 44-year-old Italian, who will hope to impress the fans with his brand of football from the off.

Keep Cole Palmer available for moments of magic

Cole Palmer thrived with the freedom he was afforded last season, scoring 22 goals and assisting 11.

Maresca likes making sure his players know their roles inside and out, where to be and when, but Palmer cannot lose that individuality which makes him so special, because that can bring Chelsea games to life and secure them victories out of nowhere.

Weigh-in on Chelsea’s divisive signings and sales

It is mandatory for a new manager’s in-tray to include an item on signings and sales, and Chelsea will need to make a decision on Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, two homegrown players who have long been linked with moves but were key to the club eventually securing European football.

Insiders say they expect Chelsea to be busy this summer as they look to strengthen their squad even more.

Blues fans have made their feelings clear on their desire for Gallagher to stay, but balancing the club’s finances makes the easy win of keeping him around far from straightforward.