Enzo Maresca has signed a three-year deal to take over from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, according to reports.
City’s hierarchy had been waiting on a decision from the Catalan, who had 12 months to run on his deal but there was constant speculation he would leave the Etihad this summer. That was confirmed last week by the club and they’ve been swift in seeking out a replacement.
Maresca previously served as Guardiola’s assistant in Manchester before leaving to take the Leicester City job. His work at the Foxes landed him the top job at Chelsea, where he claimed Europa Conference League and Club World Cup glory.
He was axed by the Blues earlier this year with the Italian admitting he had held talks with City about eventually replacing Guardiola. That is now set to become a reality with Maresca signing a deal to take charge for the foreseeable.
The outgoing Guardiola has vowed to phone whoever replaces him at the Etihad, and urged him to back his ideas with City prepared to stick by their next manager.
He said: “When the club tell me who it is, of course I will call him. I will tell him, ‘Be yourself and the club will support you unconditionally’. That is the biggest compliment, or the biggest luck that all the managers who have been here have had. You will be protected in the bad moments more than any other club. Be yourself, be free, go with your ideas. Work a lot and everything will be fine.”
Maresca will be fully involved in the club’s transfer strategy with City set to target certain areas of the squad. Elliot Anderson is understood to be a key target as those on the blue half of Manchester continued to regenerate their squad.
View 2 ImagesPep Guardiola has offered his full support to Man City’s next boss(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
In the final 18 months of Guardiola’s reign he bought in a number of players who are likely to prove crucial in the coming years. Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo were signed in January whilst before that the likes of Rayan Cherki and Abdukodir Khusanov were brought in.
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Guardiola leaves after 10 glorious years in which he won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, which formed part of a treble in 2023. His last season saw him deliver a domestic cup double but he had to settle for a runners-up league finish.
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