Enzo Maresca: Man City appoint former Chelsea head coach as Pep Guardiola's successor at Etihad Stadium
Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca replaces Pep Guardiola as Manchester City boss; Maresca led Blues to Club World Cup title last summer but departed in January; Italian previously worked as Guardiola's assistant at City and coached the club's Elite Development squad
Monday 29 June 2026 15:10, UK
Manchester City have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new manager.
Maresca has signed a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, and City will pay Chelsea more than £17m (€20m) in compensation as part of the deal, according to Sky in Italy.
The 46-year-old previously served as Guardiola's assistant during Man City's treble-winning season in 2023, having also led the club's Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title in his single season at the helm in 2020/21.
Speaking in an interview with the club after his appointment, Maresca said: "Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me.
"City is an incredibly well-run football club. Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful. For a manager, that is a dream situation. It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively.
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"This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations.
"The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special, and I want to thank them for showing faith in my ability.
"I cannot wait to start coaching the players. I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City."
Maresca, who departed Chelsea on New Year's Day by mutual consent, has been out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge. He had three and a half years left on his contract.
He led the Blues to the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup titles during his one full season in charge, and left the club fifth in the Premier League table - five places above their final position of 10th.
Guardiola left the Etihad at the end of the 2025/26 season after 10 years in charge, during which time City won 17 major trophies. They missed out on the Premier League to Arsenal in 2025/26, meaning Guardiola failed to win a league title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his managerial career.
Chelsea release explosive statement in response
At exactly the same time as Man City announced Maresca's appointment, his former club Chelsea released a strongly worded statement explaining the reasoning behind his departure on New Year's Day.
The statement also revealed he had paid the Blues out of his own pocket after a confidential settlement was reached, as well as the compensation paid by City as part of another confidential settlement between the two clubs.
Below is the statement in full:
"Chelsea FC appreciates the 2025/26 season was a hugely disappointing one for the club and its supporters. A major contributing factor was the disruption caused as a result of changes that the club was forced to make to the head coach position over the Christmas period.
"Due to recent developments, we consider that it is important to explain to our supporters what happened and why our former head coach left the club on 1 January 2026.
"In Autumn last year, the club was informed by our former head coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season. It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate.
"In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.
"No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters, and the badge and accept his resignation.
"In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation. A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former head coach under which he will pay compensation.
"Looking forward to next season, in Xabi Alonso, we have a manager who has an exceptional football mind and is a professional of the highest integrity. He has all the attributes to deliver the success the club's supporters deserve and expect."
Maresca then apologises on Instagram
In a post on Instagram, Maresca himself then directed an apology towards Chelsea:
"At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea.
"The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City.
"I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish.
"I was treated well by everyone at Chelsea and together we achieved great success and memories that I will always treasure.
"I am grateful to the club, the owners and the fans for giving me the opportunity."
Analysis: Why do City need to pay Chelsea compensation?
Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol:
"Maresca's departure from Chelsea was very acrimonious. There were a lot of stories that he was unhappy with the way Chelsea were run, and certain aspects about the structure of the club.
"But all along we reported the main issue was he knew that potentially Pep Guardiola was going to be leaving - and he was contacted about the possibility of succeeding him.
"That totally disrupted Chelsea's season. The last thing they wanted to do was lose their manager mid-season. That's exactly what happened.
"There were a lot of people saying that Maresca was sacked - but we always reported that he resigned. Chelsea believe he resigned because his head and heart were no longer at the club.
"He had a contract at Chelsea until effectively 2030, when you factor in the Blues' option to extend that contract, which did not have a release clause. You can't just walk out of a contract at a top Premier League club and take another job at another Premier League club, you have contractual obligations.
"Chelsea have been working very hard that their interests were defended and that their position is respected in this.
"Manchester City will be paying Chelsea £17m in compensation. And Maresca himself will pay Chelsea compensation, which is an undisclosed amount. He has also apologised in public for leaving Chelsea last season."
Analysis: City hopeful of seamless transition from Guardiola to Maresca
Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom:
"In terms of Maresca's fit and his credentials for Man City, he feels like a sensible choice for the club because this is obviously a long-term project. The foundations were laid years before Pep Guardiola ultimately became the manager. He was the man they always wanted. They had his trusted right-hand man, Txiki Begiristain, and others he'd worked with at Barcelona already in place when they were finally able to bring him over and make him manager.
"That was 10 years ago, so of course City have been looking to the future. There was always going to be a time when Guardiola left. Maresca is someone who knows the club very, very well. I think there is a feeling he could fit in quite seamlessly. He won Premier League 2 with the development side before going off and becoming a manager in his own right. That didn't quite work out at Parma, so he came back and was part of Pep's coaching staff as his assistant when Manchester City had their best season in their history.
"In 2022/23 they won the treble: the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the crowning glory in Istanbul, winning the Champions League for the first time.
"Maresca has gone on to increase his own stock by bringing Leicester City back to the Premier League, then going on to Chelsea, winning the Club World Cup and being viewed relatively favourably, certainly by the players there, even if some of the fans at times were a little uncertain about his football.
"When you look at the squad City have built over the last couple of seasons - a new, fresh squad - there's a feeling that Maresca has the capacity to fit in quite seamlessly at a club he knows and take that squad forward again."
