Manchester City announced Enzo Maresca as their new head coach on June 29, 2026, signing him to a three-year contract starting next season [1, 2, 3, 4]. Maresca, 46, takes over from Pep Guardiola, who stepped down after a highly successful 10-year tenure that yielded 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the historic 2023 treble [1, 2, 5, 3, 6, 7].
Maresca previously worked under Guardiola as an assistant coach during Manchester City's 2018-19 treble-winning season and also coached the club's youth teams [2, 5, 6, 8, 4]. He began his senior managerial career at Parma in 2021, then led Leicester City to promotion after being appointed in June 2023 before moving to Chelsea in 2024 [2, 6, 4, 9]. Maresca resigned from Chelsea on January 1, 2026, amid disputes with the club hierarchy despite winning the Conference League and Club World Cup there [1, 3, 4, 9].
Manchester City paid Chelsea a compensation fee reportedly around £17 million for Maresca's signing, with Maresca also making a personal compensation payment to Chelsea as part of a confidential settlement [1, 3, 4, 9]. Chelsea confirmed "a confidential settlement has been reached" concerning compensation from both parties [9].
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak praised Maresca's development, saying, "He is one of Pep's assistants at one point in his career so definitely - he will tell you - he is going to have taken a lot of inspiration in the philosophy of Pep, and you see that in his football. But he has also evolved his own philosophy. I think Enzo brings a lot to this club" [5]. Maresca called managing Manchester City a "huge challenge" and said, "The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special... I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City" [2, 5, 4].
Maresca inherits a squad undergoing transition, including the near signing of Elliot Anderson for £116 million from Nottingham Forest [7, 10]. Despite his pedigree, questions remain about Maresca's experience at the elite level and his suitability to replace Guardiola, with some critics citing a one-dimensional style during his Chelsea tenure [7, 10].
The appointment follows a timeline that saw Maresca begin at Parma in 2021, take over Leicester City in June 2023 leading them to promotion, join Chelsea in 2024, resign on January 1, 2026, and finally join Manchester City this month [2, 6, 4, 9].
Manchester City will start their next season with Maresca at the helm, aiming to sustain their trophy-winning ways over the three years of his contract [1, 2, 3, 4].
