Maresca won't lose focus amid reports of Chelsea rift

Enzo Maresca insists he will not be distracted by reports of a rift between Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

Boehly and Eghbali were the leading figures in the 2022 purchase of Chelsea from former owner Roman Abramovich.

But the pair are reported to have clashed over a host of issues revolving around the running of the Premier League club.

After Boehly's brief stint as the club's sporting director during the first six months of the new regime in west London, Eghbali has become the most hands-on figure within the ownership group.

Their relationship is said to have deteriorated in recent months, with differing opinions over the club's recruitment policy, poor results and the failure to make progress on the building of a new stadium.

One of the key disagreements came over the position of now-departed manager Mauricio Pochettino, who was replaced by former Leicester boss Maresca in the close-season.

Boehly is believed to have backed Pochettino, now in charge of the USA men's team.

However, Eghbali and the club's co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were reported to have favoured a fresh approach.

With no sign of a solution, it is believed Boehly and Eghbali want to buy out each others' shares to seize sole control at Stamford Bridge.

Eghbali's Clearlake is the majority share owner with a 61.5 per cent stake and Boehly holds a minority 12.8 per cent ownership.

'THE FOCUS IS THE PITCH'

But amid the problems in the corridors of power, Maresca said on Friday he is focused on his players as the Blues look to bounce back from their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

"If I spend my energy on something different then it's not worth it, my focus is on tomorrow's game to be honest," Maresca said ahead of the clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.

"In the last week I've done the same thing, focus on the game and how to prepare in the best way.

"The other things are things I cannot control. I spoke with Todd when we played City and Behdad just days ago; I'm speaking with both, there's no problems at all. I'm focused on the pitch.

"The players are professional to understand that these things are things we can't control so the focus is the pitch, the way we need to improve.

"I don't know if something will happen, I have no idea."