Read 3 minutesJune 29, 2026 10:37 PM IST
Premier League side Manchester City have finally found a name to replace outgoing coach Pep Guardiola, as Enzo Maresca has been appointed as their new manager, the club announced on Monday.
The Italian joined City after a mid-season exit from Chelsea and signed a three-year deal. Maresca is familiar with Man City’s set-up, having previously coached the club’s youth team. He was also assistant coach of the senior team under Guardiola during City’s 2018–19 treble-winning season.
Dubbed the end of an era, Guardiola left City at the end of the 2025-26 season after spending 10 long years. Guardiola, who took over at City in 2016, won six Premier League titles – 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 calls it a great opportunity to return to the club, saying he “knows better”.
“Manchester City is a club that I know very well and to have the opportunity to manage this team is a great opportunity for me,” Maresca said in a statement. “The quality of the people who work here makes it so special and I want to thank them for showing confidence in my abilities. “I can’t stop training the players. I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City.”
Maresca’s managerial journey began in 2021 with Serie A club Parma, where he stayed for 14 games, winning just four times. He was then appointed as 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 won both the Conference League and the Club World Cup, but his relationship with the club’s owners soured and he left midway through his second season at Stamford Bridge.
Story continues below this ad
Chelsea said in a statement on Monday that Maresca had expressed his desire to leave mid-contract after being given the opportunity to succeed Guardiola at Manchester City.
“It became clear to us that Guardiola had a strong desire to succeed and was under a long-term contract and was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity despite not having the right to terminate it. In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and suddenly resigned from his position. Obviously, he believed in and focused on another club. He had just arrived at Chelsea,” Chelsea said in a statement.