Manchester City have secured the services of Enzo Maresca as the club’s new manager to replace exit-bound Pep Guardiola.
Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed Man City has just sealed a deal with Maresca to take over from Pep.
Further details have reveal that the two parties have settled for a three-year contract running till 2029, with the former Leicester boss expected to take the reins immediately at the Etihad after City’s last Premier League match this season on Sunday.
Maresca’s emergence as Man City’s new manager is no surprise. The Italian tactician has been primed long ago as City’s leading candidate to take over from Guardiola.
Now that the dust and uncertainties in City’s managerial position has settled, attention now turns on Maresca’s credential and chances in City’s dugout as new manager.
Enzo Maresca’s managerial career
Enzo Maresca’s managerial career began effectively in the Italian top flight when he took up position as assistant manager for former AC Milan boss Fulvio Florin.
After a short spell in Milan’s coaching ranks, he was contracted by Manchester City to manage the team’s youth squad in 2020. He achieved instant results with the team, leading them to the Premier League 2 title.
Following his success with Man City youth team, he once again caught attention of another Italian club, this time Parma, who were plying their trade in the Serie B.
However, it didn’t go as planned for the 46-year-old who was sacked after just six months for failing to lead them to promotion to Serie A.
A year later, Maresca was back in Manchester City’s coaching ranks as an assistant manager, working closely with Pep Guardiola. After a fruitful two-year spell with the Premier League giants, he had his second stint as a first team manager, joining Leicester City as new manager in 2023.
That move marked the turning point of his managerial career as he led the Foxes to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.
From Leicester City, Maresca witnessed a drastic leap in his managerial career, joining Chelsea as new manager. He recorded instant impact in the Blues dugout, leading the team to their best Premier League start since 2021 after an impressive three wins from their first four matches.
He led the team back to the Champions League for the first time since 2022, and won the Conference League title and FIFA Club World Cup. However, despite those successes, his spell with the Blues was short-lived following tensions with the club’s owners.
Maresca is renowned for his possession-based football – a methodology believed to be heavily influenced by his former boss Pep Guardiola. He successfully deployed the system to secure results both for Leicester City and Chelsea.
The similarities of his structure and tactical layout to Pep Guardiola’s approach at Manchester City, combined with his recent successes, saw him beat the competition to become City’s new boss.
However, he has a big challenge ahead of him, replacing a manager in Pep, who oversaw the most successful era in Manchester City’s history. It remains to be seen whether he build on those successes or oversee another difficult era in City’s history.
