The 44-year-old was speaking from the impressive Levi’s Stadium ahead of his first match since taking charge of the club.

The Blues play Wrexham at the home of the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday evening in what will be the first match of our 2024 USA Tour.

Maresca said: ‘It is always important to have a connection with the fans. The fans in the US, the fans in England, the fans anywhere.’

He continued: 'We have not had the chance to visit the city because we arrived very late [last night] and we had a session this afternoon. [But] it is always nice to share time with our fans abroad, not only in England.

‘As a player or a manager, I have been here many times and it is always a pleasure.’

Maresca had earlier in the day held his first training session since Chelsea arrived in the USA, with the squad taking to the field at Stanford Stadium, inside the Stanford University campus.

Those watching on could see some clear attacking patterns which the coach is trying to implement, and he was asked to explain his playing style.

He said: ‘My philosophy is quite clear. We try to dominate the game, we try to keep the ball as much as we can. It is difficult and it is not easy but overall the idea is to be aggressive on the ball and off the ball.’

Chelsea are playing five matches as part of our 2024 US Tour, with games in California, Indiana, Atlanta, Ohio and North Carolina.

The Blues visit the States at a time when the country is looking to grow the game, with the Copa America taking place this summer and the US will be co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Maresca was asked about the growth of the MLS and football in general across the country during his press conference.

He said: ‘The MLS is improving a lot and growing a lot. Probably thanks to players like Lionel Messi that are here. We try to do our best when we come here to play games and hopefully, we can help US football to improve and to grow.’

Maresca joins the Blues on the back of winning the Championship during his first season in charge of Leicester City.

And the Italian has every intention of continuing to lift trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca said: ‘I am here for the same targets [as the club]. When you join a club like Chelsea - one of the biggest and best clubs in the world – you have to try to win trophies or at least compete.

‘So our target will be to try to compete and achieve something now. When that happens? I don’t know but hopefully it will be as soon as possible.’

You can still buy tickets for Chelsea versus Wrexham here and for those not based in the USA or Canada – where the game will be shown by domestic broadcast partners – you can stream it live on the official Chelsea website and app for £4.99.

The live stream on our website enables casting to smart TVs, while the Chelsea app exclusively features enhanced stats and event tracking. Broadcasting on both platforms begins 20 minutes before kick-off.

Click on the fixture button below now to purchase the live stream on the official Chelsea website and app.