Harry Redknapp blames Chelsea’s sporting directors for area of squad that’s ‘not good enough’

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Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp has a lot of sympathy for Enzo Maresca following his departure from Chelsea on New Year’s Day.

Maresca and Chelsea decided to part ways, with it being believed that the 45-year-old’s relationship with the club had completely broken down.

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is set to replace Maresca in the Stamford Bridge dugout, though nothing has been agreed yet.

Liam Rosenior set to be announced as Enzo Maresca replacement ⌛

Enzo Maresca at Chelsea:

91 games
55 wins
16 draws
20 losses

Is this a step backwards, or another exciting young manager who will hit the ground running at Chelsea?

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It means Chelsea Under-21 manager Calum McFarlane will lead the team out against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

• READ MORE: Chelsea fans respond to Enzo Maresca departure with an emphatic message to the owners

Harry Redknapp claims Chelsea’s sporting directors have bought wingers who are ‘not good enough’

Chelsea were not performing well under Maresca, going on a run of one win in seven Premier League games before his exit. However, Redknapp thinks Chelsea’s sporting directors need to take some of the blame for what has happened.

According to the former Tottenham Hotspur boss, they handed Maresca wingers who are not up to the required standard.

In his column for The Sun, he said: “If you were the one as the manager to buy the players, if you bought good players, fantastic. When you buy bad ones, you took the blame and put your hands up as it was your fault.

“Now, who takes the blame? In Chelsea’s case it looks like Maresca. Their army of sporting directors are all still in post — and how have they done? Chelsea keep buying wingers that are not good enough. They’ve loaded up with wide players over the last couple of years that are not up to it.”

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are the sporting directors who head up recruitment at Chelsea.

They have not been at Stamford Bridge for long, joining the Blues following Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s takeover of the club, yet have quickly become unpopular figures.

Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens are two wingers who have been signed under their watch.

Chelsea wingers’ stats in the Premier League this season

Garnacho has shown glimpses of his talent since arriving from Manchester United, but the 21-year-old has only scored one goal in the Premier League so far. As for Gittens, he is yet to find the back of the net.

As good as he has been, Estevao Willian also has just one goal to his name in the top flight.

This term, Pedro Neto has been Chelsea’s most consistent wide man, but if the Conference League holders want to get back to where they once were, the Portuguese and the team’s other attackers need to start scoring more goals.

It has been an up and down season, but there are still positive vibes in the Chelsea dressing room, according to Neto.