Manchester City have finally appointed Enzo Maresca as their new manager, replacing the footballing legend that is Pep Guardiola. The club announced the deal on the 29th of June, weeks after it became clear he was set to take the helm. There were protracted negotiations between the Italian, his former club Chelsea, and Man City, with the west London outfit believing they were owed compensation should Maresca replace Pep.
No details have been confirmed about who will pay what to whom, but the issue has clearly been resolved, with Man City releasing a statement which said they were “delighted to confirm the appointment of Enzo Maresca as manager”. He has signed a contract for three years, ending in the summer of 2029.
The coach himself said, “I know this Club, I know the demands and I know the expectations”. It will be his third spell at City. The former midfielder first took charge of the Elite Development Squad (EDS). With City’s expensively assembled youth team, he won the Premier League 2 title in 2020/21. He then had a brief stint as number one at Parma, though that lasted just six months.
He then returned to the Etihad in June 2022 as an assistant to Guardiola, impressing all at the club with his intelligence and tactical understanding. Around 12 months after returning to City, he was on his way once more, this time going to Leicester City to become their manager.
He guided the Foxes to the Championship title in his first – and indeed only – season in the East Midlands. Then Chelsea came calling, and Maresca took on the poisoned chalice as the manager of the Blues.
Maresca’s Time at Chelsea
Maresca’s time at Chelsea was something of a mixed bag. In all he took charge of 92 games, winning almost 60% of them. He guided them to the UEFA Conference League title in 2024/25 and then to success in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He produced a tactical masterclass in the final of the Club World Cup, his unfancied side putting Paris Saint-Germain to the sword and winning 3-0.
Luis Enrique’s brilliant team, which had recently romped to victory in the Champions League and would go on to defend that title, were outclassed, especially in the first half. The damage was done by half-time, with Maresca’s side 3-0 up and the boss and players were rightly heralded for the performance.
However, by the December after that great victory, things had turned sour. The Blues beat Everton 2-0, but afterwards Maresca gave a strange press conference in which he said he had experienced his worst 48 hours as Chelsea boss. Just a few weeks later, on the 1st of January 2026, he left the club.
The club had won just one of seven games, and Chelsea now say they believe their head coach had lost focus and was already interested in replacing Pep, with insiders aware that the former Barca man was set to leave in the summer. Maresca argues that he was being undermined. At the time, many felt there was internal disagreement about transfers, tactics and the path forward, and that Maresca felt he did not have the full support of the owners.
What we Now Know (Not Much!)
It now seems that back at the end of 2025, Mareca decided he wanted to quit as Chelsea boss. A Chelsea statement at the time made it seem like the decision was by mutual consent – which usually means the club is sacking the manager – but it now transpires that Maresca resigned. Or at least that is what is being said by both the Blues and their former boss.
The Italian posted on Instagram, “The decision was only mine,” adding that he accepted that his “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.” According to this version of events, he wanted to open a path to replace Pep.
Something doesn’t seem quite right to us, but perhaps we’re cynical. Nonetheless, the upshot of this is that Chelsea now argue his resignation was a “decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities”. Because of that, they are claiming compensation from Maresca directly, as well as from Man City.
It seems there is no concrete information about these compensation packages, although the sums involved will certainly help Chelsea’s troubled finances quite significantly. The BBC has reported that City will pay £17m to Chelsea, while Maresca’s former employers have said that the Italian has agreed to pay them further compensation personally. There is no real information about how much that might be or if it will ultimately be covered by Man City through an enhanced contract.
Hopefully, all parties can now put the matter behind them because it truly was a drawn-out saga. Chelsea have blamed Maresca’s departure for their slump and will be glad to have been able to now give their side of the story. The big question now is whether Maresca is as good as City think he is, and whether he can help return the Cityzens to the top of English and European football.