Manchester City announce Enzo Maresca as new manager on three-year deal
Manchester City announce Enzo Maresca as new manager on three-year deal
Maresca has already been collaborating closely with sporting director Hugo Viana in the club's summer transfer planning Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
By Sam Lee and Liam TwomeyJune 29, 2026 Updated 9:06 am EDTManchester City have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a three-year deal to 2029.
The Italian has replaced Pep Guardiola in the dugout after the Catalan brought a decade at the Etihad to a close at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Maresca has been out of work since parting ways with Chelsea on January 1, but he has already begun collaborating closely with City sporting director Hugo Viana in the club’s planning for summer transfer activity and pre-season schedule.
As reported by The Athletic on January 1 upon his departure from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had been informed by Maresca on three occasions, twice in late October and then again in mid-December, that he was in dialogue with people associated with City about his candidacy for the club’s managerial role should it become available.
Six months later, Chelsea confirmed this dialogue over succeeding Guardiola occurred “in autumn last year”. The Italian was contractually obliged to inform Chelsea of talks with any other club.
“In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position,” their lengthy statement released on Monday added. “Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity.
“In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation. A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former head coach under which he will pay compensation.”
Maresca’s departure on New Year’s Day came after The Athletic reported he would rank highly among the candidates to replace Guardiola this summer in the event the Catalan left.
Guardiola announced his intention to depart from the club in May, ahead of the final game of the 2025-26 season, a home loss against Aston Villa.
“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 on his announcement on Monday.
“City is an incredibly well-run football club. Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful. For a manager, that is a dream situation. It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively.
“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 is already familiar with City, having coached the club’s Under-21s for the 2020-21 season and returning, following a stint as Parma coach, as a first-team assistant to Guardiola in the summer of 2022.
The 46-year-old was a part of Guardiola’s staff when the club won their historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2022-23.
Maresca then embarked on a managerial career of his own, guiding Leicester City to the Championship title in 2023-24 and joining Chelsea that summer, winning the Conference League and Club World Cup in his one full season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian also helped Chelsea to a top-four finish in the 2024-25 season and Champions League qualification.
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He will succeed Guardiola, 55, who won 20 trophies across a decade in charge at the Etihad Stadium — including six Premier Leagues, four of which were successive between 2021 and 2024.
City won this season’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but missed out on the Premier League for a second successive season. They finished 13 points behind eventual champions Liverpool in 2024-25, before losing out to Arsenal this campaign.
Self-confidence no issue for Maresca
Analysis by The Athletic’s correspondent Simon Johnson
You could tell Maresca was never short of confidence at Chelsea, especially after leading the team to the Club World Cup last July.
It is a measure of how much Maresca believes in his abilities that he has agreed to succeed Guardiola, clearly one of the toughest jobs in the history of the Premier League.
Despite a growing sense of disappointment since the Italian left in January, Chelsea fans were divided over Maresca when he was at the club. His name was barely ever sung during the 18 months he was at the helm.
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This was partly due to the style of football of course, which when played at its worst was rather methodical and ponderous. He rarely showed his personality in press conferences too, coming across as stiff and cold.
But telling the critics to ‘f— off’ after the victory over Nottingham Forest 12 months ago and running down the touchline to celebrate a late winner over Liverpool in October betrayed the passion this guy has for the game.
Maresca was not at Chelsea long enough to determine whether he is the real deal or not. But his tactical acumen was a major factor in Chelsea defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final.
Show that on a consistent basis and he will convince the doubters in the Manchester City fanbase that he is the right man for the job.
Bad blood from Maresca’s messy Chelsea exit still lingers
Analysis by The Athletic’s Liam Twomey
The fact that Maresca is never referred to by name in Chelsea’s statement should tell you all you need to know about the bad blood that lingers from his Stamford Bridge exit.
Chelsea’s season was already losing momentum by the time Maresca effectively quit in December, but many at the club consider his abrupt departure to be the catalyst for an unravelling that ultimately left them with a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
Critics might point out that Chelsea did themselves no favours in that regard with the ill-fated appointment of Liam Rosenior as Maresca’s replacement in January, but that decision was made under the considerable duresse of a packed fixture schedule and would not have been necessary if the Italian had not chosen to leave when he did.
Maresca made it clear to Chelsea in the months preceding his departure that he was very interested in the possibility of succeeding Guardiola at City, and he has got his wish. The unusual requirement for him to pay an undisclosed amount of compensation to his former club is unlikely to leave him with any regrets.
Chelsea have moved on with the exciting appointment of Xabi Alonso, and Maresca has his dream job at City. Everyone can move on — until the two clubs next meet on the pitch.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
