3 min readJun 29, 2026 10:37 PM IST
First published on: Jun 29, 2026 at 10:37 PM IST
Premier League side Manchester City have finally found a name to replace departing coach Pep Guardiola, as Enzo Maresca has been appointed the new manager, the club announced on Monday.
The Italian joins City following a mid-season exit from Chelsea and has signed a three-year contract. Maresca brings familiarity with Man City’s set-up, having previously coached the club’s youth team. He was also the senior side’s assistant coach under Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season.
In what was termed as the end of an era, Guardiola left City at the end of the 2025-26 season after spending 10 long years. Guardiola, who took charge of City in 2016, won six Premier League titles — including four in a row — three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League. The Spaniard left the club with a domestic double — the FA Cup and the EFL Cup — in his final season.
Maresca called it a brilliant opportunity to be back with the club he says he “knows very well”.
“Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” Maresca said in a statement. “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’s managerial journey began with Serie A club Parma in 2021, where he stayed for 14 games, winning only four times. He was then appointed the head coach of English club Leicester City at the start of the 2023-24 Championship season and guided them back to the Premier League as champions. His success in the East Midlands earned him a move to Chelsea.
The 46-year-old Italian guided Chelsea to a fourth-place finish and lifted both the Conference League and Club World Cup, but his relationship with the club’s owners deteriorated and he left midway through his second season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea said in a statement on Monday that Maresca had expressed a desire to leave mid-contract after being informed of the opportunity to succeed Guardiola at Manchester City.
“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,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been appointed as Man City's manager. (PHOTO: Reuters) 
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