Enzo Maresca to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Enzo Maresca has reached an agreement to take charge at Manchester City, with the Italian set to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, reports BritPanorama.
The club is understood to be preparing for Guardiola’s exit this summer following a decade that yielded 19 major honours. Despite City insiders noting that Guardiola still has twelve months remaining on his contract, his departure appears imminent this week.
Maresca’s return to Manchester represents something of a homecoming for the 46-year-old, who first arrived at the club in 2020 as a development squad coach. During that initial stint, he guided City’s young players to the Premier League 2 championship.
After a period managing Parma in Italy, he returned to the Etihad in 2022 to join Guardiola’s first-team coaching staff, stepping into the role vacated by Juanma Lillo. His impressive work alongside the legendary manager prompted Leicester City to offer him his first senior managerial position.
According to reports, the deal to succeed Guardiola was finalised during the March international break. Maresca’s tenure at Leicester proved transformative, as he steered the Foxes to the Championship crown and secured an immediate return to the top flight.
Though Chelsea subsequently appointed him to replace Mauricio Pochettino, entrusting the Italian with their ambitious project, tensions with the board led to his departure in January, despite winning both the Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025.
Guardiola’s tenure at the Etihad has cemented his status among football’s greatest ever managers, with a haul that includes six Premier League crowns, three FA Cups, five League Cups, and the Champions League. The historic treble achieved in 2023 stands as perhaps the defining moment of his remarkable spell in English football.
When asked whether his time at City represented the definition of greatness, Guardiola replied, “Yeah, of course, 19 titles in 10 years is not bad.” He added, “They know they don’t need to wait until I’m leaving, they know I have been fun. So 19 titles – fight for 20 in 10 years – it’s not bad, honestly.”
The decision to appoint Maresca hints at Manchester City’s determined continuation of success and the desire to build upon the legacy established under Guardiola. As the club prepares for this transition, the football world will keenly observe how a new era unfolds at the Etihad.
