Enzo Maresca is close to becoming Manchester City’s next manager, with the club preparing for a major transition after Pep Guardiola’s departure next season. The appointment is shaping up as one of the most consequential in City’s recent history, as negotiations near a conclusion and the focus shifts to who will guide the team after Guardiola’s landmark reign.
Discussions between City and the former Chelsea head coach are understood to be well advanced, with the 46-year-old Italian showing a strong desire to take the role. He is expected to be confirmed as Guardiola’s successor in due course, bringing an element of continuity to a squad that has been coached to elite standards under Guardiola for years.
Guardiola is scheduled to step away following Sunday’s final league fixture of the campaign against Aston Villa. His time at the Etihad has produced an extraordinary stretch of domestic and European success, and City have reportedly been planning for this moment for more than half a year.
Maresca arrives with a blend of experience and familiarity with the club’s footballing culture. He previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant during City’s famous Treble-winning 2022-23 season and also played a notable part in the development pathway at the academy level before moving into the first-team setup. In 2023, he left City to take charge of Leicester, where he delivered promotion from the Championship in what proved to be his only season as manager.
His credentials were further strengthened during his brief spell as Chelsea boss. In his only complete campaign in charge, he won the Club World Cup and the Conference League, while also steering the team to Champions League qualification, demonstrating his ability to manage both momentum and pressure at the top end of the game. Guardiola later highlighted that achievement in particular.
“One of the best managers in the world,” Guardiola said. “The job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit. Winning the Club World Cup, Conference League, qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team — it is exceptional.”
Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January, arriving at City once more after lifting the Club World Cup less than six months earlier. That timing sets the scene for a swift return to a club where his managerial standing was first established, with City now preparing for the next chapter after Guardiola’s final league match of the season.
