Report: Maresca is leading candidate to replace Guardiola at Man City
Enzo Maresca is firmly in Manchester City's sights if Pep Guardiola decides to leave the club at the end of the season, according to The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg.
Guardiola's contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season. Director of football Hugo Viana is leading contingency plans should the manager decide to leave this summer instead, and Maresca reportedly tops the list of potential replacements.
Maresca discussed his candidacy to succeed Guardiola in October and December 2025 when he was still in charge of Chelsea, sources told The Athletic's David Ornstein and Simon Johnson. The Italian coach rejected his links with City in December, calling them "100% speculation," but his Chelsea tenure ended 13 days later amid reports of a difficult relationship with the club's hierarchy.
In December, Guardiola also called Maresca "one of the best managers in the world." The two tacticians take a similar approach - possession-based with players operating in specific zones - and Maresca was Guardiola's assistant during Manchester City's 2022-23 treble-winning season.
Maresca also won the Premier League 2 with City's Elite Development Squad in 2021. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap, Romeo Lavia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and James McAtee were members of his title-winning team.
Maresca appeared to leave Chelsea under acrimonious circumstances, but he still won the Conference League and Club World Cup during his 18-month spell. Chelsea have almost fallen out of contention for Champions League qualification since he departed the club. The Blues are also on the lookout for a new head coach following Wednesday's sacking of Maresca's full-time successor, Liam Rosenior, just three-and-a-half months into a contract that ran until 2032.
Some Chelsea players seem to regret Maresca's departure. Left-back Marc Cucurella recently rued the "instability" that's ensued since his exit, while midfielder Enzo Fernandez said Maresca leaving "hurt us a lot," according to The Athletic.
Maresca could still have contractual obligations to Chelsea because he walked out on a contract that had three-and-a-half years remaining, plus a club option of a further year, Steinberg reports.