Enzo Maresca has revealed that he was quick to tell the club's co-owners that Chelsea should dominate English football across the next decade.
The Blues have made an eye-catching start to life under the Italian, accumulating 25 points from 13 matches to sit in third position in the Premier League table.
Maresca has repeatedly insisted that Chelsea are not capable of sustaining a bid for the title in his first season in charge, citing having the youngest squad in the division at his disposal as his reason.
However, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning, Maresca revealed that he made a bold claim to the club's powers-that-be when holding discussions with them prior to his arrival.
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Maresca reveals confidence in young squad
Chelsea had been coming off the back of a sixth-placed finish under Mauricio Pochettino in 2023-24, a considerable improvement to ending the previous campaign in the bottom half of the standings.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have been relentless in their efforts to compile a squad full of world-class prospects and players on the right track to fulfilling their potential.
Despite reiterating that he does not anticipate Chelsea lifting the Premier League crown in May, Maresca holds a different opinion when it comes to the future.
He told reporters: "The good thing is that I still think what I said to the owners and sporting director when I first met them.
"Because of the age and how good the squad is, in the next five to 10 years, Chelsea will be the team that will dominate English football.
"This is what I said to the club the first time I met them, no matter who the manager would be. For the next five or 10 years because of the age and the squad, you can dominate English football. I still feel exactly the same."
Earlier in the press conference, Maresca said: "We started four or five months ago. It's very early, a short time together. The best feeling I have is that there are many things we can do better but we are in the right direction."
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What is Chelsea's record under Maresca?
In 21 matches in all competitions, Maresca has recorded 13 victories, four draws and four defeats, two of which came at the hands of Manchester City and Liverpool.
The other two losses were with much-changed starting lineups at Servette and Newcastle United in the Conference League and EFL Cup respectively.
A total of 52 goals have been scored. Chelsea have only failed to net against Man City, on the opening weekend of the campaign, and in the aforementioned game at Newcastle.
Although just seven clean sheets have been recorded, Chelsea are yet to concede more than twice in a single game under Maresca.
That record will be put to the test this week as they square off against an improving Southampton and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, each on away territory.
Darren Plant
