Pedro Neto has admitted he feels a little bit “sad” following Enzo Maresca’s departure from Chelsea earlier this week.
Maresca and Chelsea parted ways on Thursday after 18 months together, during which time he won the Conference League and Club World cup.
The Italian clearly wasn’t happy with things behind the scenes, and things escalated very quickly after Tuesday’s draw with Bournemouth.
Pedro Neto reveals player reaction to Enzo Maresca departure
It’s been quite the start to 2026 for Chelsea as they once again find themselves looking for a new manager, which almost certainly wasn’t part of the plan this season.
Quite what the players think of what’s going on at the club isn’t clear, but Neto has spoken on the reaction and how he felt about Maresca’s departure.
“When I heard the news, in the beginning, I was a little bit surprised, because the manager did very good for us,” he told Sky Sports.
“He did an unbelievable season last year, he was doing a good season this year.
“For me, I’d be a little bit sad because it was the manager that helped me a lot.
“He helped me a lot, I learned a lot with him.
“On personal terms, he was unbelievable as well. So the only thing I can say is ‘thank you’.”
"We were all upset… I was surprised" 😳
Pedro Neto reveals the Chelsea players' reactions to Enzo Maresca's New Year's Day departure in full on the Sky Sports Premier League YouTube channel 📺 pic.twitter.com/5f2X5Yd3hQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 2, 2026
Chelsea face tough Manchester City test
With Maresca gone the Blues have to try and refocus on the task at hand as they prepare for a huge game against Manchester City on Sunday.
Under-21s boss Calum McFarlane is set to lead the team at The Etihad in what is going to be a really difficult task for him.
Chelsea are without the suspended Moises Caicedo, whilst a final decision has yet to be taken on whether Marc Cucurella will feature after missing the Bournemouth game, although Jorrel Hato has returned to training.
