Enzo Maresca wants talks with the Leicester City hierarchy over finances and transfers as he looks to correct “things I didn’t like” ahead of the club’s Premier League return.
The City manager has avoided some of the more difficult topics of conversation around the club this season in order to keep the focus on their promotion bid. But with a place in the Premier League secured and the Championship title now wrapped up, he’s ready to sit down with the club’s directors and work out some of the knottier issues.
After being charged with a breach of Profit and Sustainability regulations (PSR) for the 22-23 campaign, City are expected to start the new season with a points deduction. More financial troubles mean sales of players would be required this June in order for the club to avoid a second breach.
Concerns that they would go beyond the EFL threshold stopped City from completing a transfer for Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi in January. The Italian arrived at Seagrave on deadline day, but time ran out as City and Inter debated the minute details of the deal.
With loanee Cesare Casadei recalled by Chelsea that month, it left Maresca one midfielder down for the second half of the season, and he expressed a few times his irritation that Sensi had not been signed. He also revealed at the start of January that he had only been made aware of the club’s financial issues as the transfer window opened.
Those incidents have left Maresca wanting to “clarify” and “modify” processes behind the scenes at City. Asked after the 3-0 win over Preston if he was beginning to get excited for the Premier League season, Maresca said: “No, to be honest. Now it’s time to enjoy a little bit, finish well, then we’re going to sit with the club.
“I’ve told you already this season that, in January, when we had the problems with Casadei and Sensi, that was not the moment to talk about that. I told you when we had the financial problems that it was not the moment to talk about that because we needed to be focused on our target. Now the season is finished, I need to sit with the club and to try to clarify things that unfortunately this year I didn’t like.”
Put to Maresca that he sounded frustrated, he added: “No, I’m not frustrated. I’m the most happy man in the world in this moment. But because I’m in charge of this club in terms of being the manager, I need things to work well. For me, there are things we need to clarify and we need to modify.
And Maresca is not the only person who needs to sit down with the club before the summer begins. City have six players out of contract at the end of June. Jamie Vardy is looking increasingly likely to stay, but the futures of Jannik Vestergaard, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Dennis Praet, and Marc Albrighton are up in the air
