Manchester City have chosen Enzo Maresca to follow Pep Guardiola, giving the former Chelsea head coach a three-year contract and one of football’s toughest dressing-room resets.
The appointment brings Maresca back to a club he knows well. He worked as Guardiola’s assistant during City’s treble-winning 2022/23 season and previously coached the club’s Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title in 2020/21.
Maresca said in a club interview: “Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me.”
The 46-year-old replaces Guardiola after the Catalan left at the end of the 2025/26 season, closing a 10-year run in which City won 17 trophies. City missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal last season, leaving the pressure now on Maresca to keep a trophy machine moving without the manager who built it.
But not everyone left satisfied. Chelsea released a sharply worded statement at the same time as City’s announcement, saying Maresca had indicated in autumn 2025 that he might have an opportunity to succeed Guardiola and that he later resigned in December while still under a long-term contract.
Chelsea said: “No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season.” The club said confidential settlements had been reached with both Manchester City and Maresca, including compensation payments.
Maresca later apologised to Chelsea supporters in an Instagram post, saying the decision to leave was his alone. He said his exit “opened a path” to City and added that he was grateful for his time at Stamford Bridge.
Now the transfer market is already moving fast, and City have made their first defining call of the post-Guardiola era. Maresca said: “I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City.”
