Leicester City could already have a Championship manager lined up if Enzo Maresca leaves for Chelsea.
After the club found themselves surprisingly relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season, the club acted swiftly to appoint Enzo Maresca as manager.
Given his only first-team managerial experience had been in a failed promotion bid at Parma in Italy, it was a risky appointment but one that paid off emphatically with Leicester winning the second tier to secure an instant return to the top flight.
Now, though, after just one season the Foxes are at risk of losing the 44-year-old, with Chelsea said to be in talks with the Argentine following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.
If that is the case, talkSPORT football editor Jason Bourne has suggested Leicester could target West Brom’s Carlos Corberan.
Carlos Corberan could replace Enzo Maresca
Maresca completely overhauled the playing style at Leicester, bringing many of the philosophies he shared with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in his time as the Spaniard’s assistant.
The possession-focused build-up has not always been to every supporter’s taste, but it has been difficult to argue with the results as Leicester amassed 97 points this season.
However, if Maresca does depart, it does not necessarily appear that the club will look to appoint a manager with a similar approach, as the more risk-averse Corberan has been linked.
Bourne posted on ‘X’ on Monday that: “It’s very early days, but a couple of us at talkSPORT are hearing the name Carlos Corberan as a potential target for Leicester, should Enzo Maresca move on.”
Carlos Corberan arguably Championship best tactician
Whilst Maresca is a coach who will not change his approach regardless of the opposition, Corberan is a manager who loves to find weaknesses in each opponent that his side can exploit.
- READ MORE: The three Leicester players who have improved since Enzo Maresca became Leicester City manager
The West Brom manager is widely considered the best tactical manager in the Championship, with the meticulous nature of his preparation for games key to this.
Corberan oversaw Huddersfield Town getting to the play-off final in 2021/22, before leading West Brom to the play-offs this season despite not spending a single penny in transfers in the summer.
Speaking ahead of their play-off semi-final with West Brom, Southampton manager Russell Martin was full of praise for Corberan, saying: “They’ve given us two really tough games. Carlos Corberan is a brilliant coach, they have experienced Premier League players and really experienced Championship players.”
The job the Spaniard has done at The Hawthorns has been quite remarkable and he has shown his managerial talents in the way he has outfoxed numerous opposition managers over the course of the campaign.
This approach could actually stand Leicester in better stead ahead of a return to the Premier League over Maresca’s one dimensional tactics that could be exposed when up against superior sides.
Corberan may not be considered the most exciting of managers should Maresca leave, but Foxes fans will be unlikely to care too much if he can keep them in the top flight, at least in the first season.