Maresca’s vow: no more exits after City return

Manchester City have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new first-team manager on a three-year contract, bringing an end to his brief stints at Leicester City and Chelsea. The Italian returns to the Etihad Stadium for a third time, having previously served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during the club’s 2022-23 treble-winning season. Maresca’s appointment follows the agreement of a £17m compensation fee with Chelsea, where he left part way through last season. He had earlier discussed replacing Guardiola while still Chelsea manager, positioning himself as City’s preferred candidate as the Catalan’s tenure approached its conclusion. Speaking after his return, Maresca said: “This is the third time – hopefully it’s the last time I come back and I don’t leave anymore. I’m very excited, for many reasons. The first one is how big the club is, so this for sure has been one of the reasons why.” The incoming manager inherits a squad built under Guardiola’s decade in charge, during which City secured six Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, five League Cups, two trebles and the Champions League. Maresca framed his challenge as one of continuity, stating: “It’s exciting because the target is to continue or carry on the last decade or the last years that everything was very nice. It’s a huge challenge, for many reasons.” He emphasised alignment with the club’s footballing philosophy, adding: “Probably the reason why I’m here is also because the idea from the club is to maintain the same style of football, the same idea and we’re going to try to do the most important thing in football which is try to win, to achieve important things.”

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Maresca’s familiarity with City’s structure is expected to ease his transition. He has previously worked with chief executive Ferran Soriano and retains connections with players including Rodri, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Nathan Ake. He said: “It’s much easier when you join a club or a place where you already connect with the people and know already the people inside the building. I know most of the people in terms of squad, in terms of players I probably will find four or five players from the season the last time I was here.” City are also set to complete the signing of England midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest in a deal reported to be worth £116m, though Maresca downplayed the need for radical squad surgery.

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He added: “The squad is already good, for sure. We need to do some things, but we are working and we will see.” The new manager’s appointment marks the start of a new chapter at the Etihad, with Maresca now tasked with sustaining the club’s recent dominance under a familiar footballing framework.