Thomas Tuchel raids Chelsea! Enzo Maresca confirms his staff have been approached by England – with Three Lions aiming to persuade ex-goalkeeper signed by Jose Mourinho to leave Blues

Days after Tuchel was unveiled as England’s next permanent manager, an 18-month tenure that will begin in January 2025, the German is reportedly keen on raiding former side Chelsea. The Standard reported that Tuchel is set to make ex-Blues stopper and current keeping coach Hilario part of his new Three Lions backroom staff, along with performance analyst James Melbourne. Now, head coach Maresca has had his say on the matter.

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  WHAT ENZO MARESCA SAID

  He told reporters: “I know that one of them has been approached; one of the analysts. We are quite open for people to leave and take their chances in case they want to take it. The other one, Hilario, I heard something but there has not been any approach yet. This is the only thing I know. We are open-minded in terms of allowing people to take chances and also we are happy to keep people who want to stay and if they want to go, they can go.”

• • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Tuchel’s England unveiling caused quite the stir, with many questioning if the German was the right man for the job – despite winning a hatful of trophies at club level. The former Bayern Munich boss is now building the team to work alongside him and assistant Anthony Barry at St. Georges Park, including Hilario, who has previously worked with Tuchel and spent eight years at Stamford Bridge as a player after being signed by Jose Mourinho.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    Aside from the poaching of Chelsea’s staff, the Blues return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon when they travel to table-topping Liverpool at Anfield. The west London outfit currently sit in fourth place.