Maresca emerges as the most likely Guardiola successor at Manchester City
Enzo Maresca is the most likely candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola on the Manchester City bench, according to a series of reports by British and international media published ahead of the season finale. The club, however, had not officially announced the appointment of a new manager by 23 May 2026, so Maresca's name must for now be viewed as a strongly media-confirmed, but not yet formally concluded option. The story gained additional weight after English media reported that Guardiola is leaving City after the final Premier League match against Aston Villa, which would close one of the most successful periods in the history of English club football. According to available information, Guardiola is expected to take a break from day-to-day coaching work after leaving, while some reports also mention the possibility of him continuing his cooperation with City Football Group in a different, advisory or ambassadorial role.
Maresca does not appear in that context by chance. The Italian has already worked within the Manchester City system, first as coach of the club's Elite Development Squad team, and then as a member of Guardiola's coaching staff in the 2022/23 season. That very season went down in history for City because the club won the treble: the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. For a board seeking continuity after Guardiola, Maresca has several obvious advantages: he knows the club structure, he worked within Guardiola's football environment, he shares similar tactical principles and he has experience of independently leading a team in England.
Guardiola's departure changes the architecture of the Premier League
If Guardiola's departure this summer is confirmed, Manchester City will enter its most sensitive transition since the Spanish coach took over the team in 2016. In November 2024, City officially announced that Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension, which at the time meant that he was expected to stay until June 2027. According to newer reports, that cycle could nevertheless end earlier, after the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, and the official appointment of a successor would become one of the key issues in English football. At a club that in recent years has built a recognizable identity through possession, positional play, high pressing and extremely precise control of space, the choice of a new coach is not only a personnel decision but also a decision about the direction of the entire sporting project.
Guardiola changed the standards of the Premier League during his tenure at Manchester City. According to the club's official 2024 announcement, by the time of the contract extension he had already won 18 major trophies with City, including six English league titles and the club's first Champions League. The Premier League then stated that the new contract was supposed to run until June 2027, with Guardiola saying that he had considered leaving but concluded that it was not the right moment at the time. That is exactly why the current development carries great symbolic weight: City must prepare for life without the coach who largely shaped its modern identity, style of play and fans' expectations.
Why Maresca is a logical choice for City
Maresca's candidacy is based above all on continuity. Manchester City is not looking only for a coach who can win matches, but for a person who understands the way the club thinks about football. In the 2020/21 season, Maresca led City's Elite Development Squad team to the Premier League 2 title, which the club presented as an important moment in the development of its academy structure. After that he had a short spell at Parma, returned to City as Guardiola's assistant and then took over Leicester City. At Leicester, he won the Championship in the 2023/24 season and returned the club to the Premier League, which the Premier League also confirmed in a review of his coaching path.
Chelsea officially announced in June 2024 that Maresca would take over as head coach of the first team from 1 July that year, with a five-year contract and an option to extend for another season. That appointment showed that Maresca was already recognized at the time as a coach capable of leading a major project in the Premier League. Still, his stay in London did not last as long as the contract suggested. In January 2026, the Premier League announced that Chelsea and Maresca had parted company, noting that the Italian had earlier taken over the club after a successful period at Leicester. That fact now makes him a more available candidate for City than he would have been had he still been tied to a long-term appointment at Stamford Bridge.
For City, Maresca's tactical formation as a coach is particularly important. His teams try to build attacks from the back line, use the goalkeeper and centre-backs as active participants in the organization of play and create numerical superiority in midfield. That does not mean that Maresca is a copy of Guardiola, nor could City simply transfer one era into another without changes. Still, the connection is clear: Maresca understands positional play, the rhythm of long possession, the importance of structure when the ball is lost and the need for the team to be simultaneously creative and protected from the opponent's transition.
The path from Guardiola's assistant to candidate for the toughest job in England
Maresca's coaching rise was not linear. As a former midfielder with experience in Italy, Spain and England, he entered coaching after a playing career that took him through clubs such as Juventus, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Málaga, Sampdoria and Palermo. At Manchester City, he first got the opportunity to work with young players, and the club profile of his work highlights the Premier League 2 title as important confirmation of that period. After a short and unsuccessful attempt at Parma, where he did not get enough time to stabilize the team, his return to City proved crucial for his reputation.
In Guardiola's staff, Maresca was part of an environment that operated at the highest possible level of European football. The 2022/23 season was historic for City because the club won the Champions League for the first time, along with the domestic title and the FA Cup. For a young coach, that was an experience that cannot easily be replaced. Working in the daily process with players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden meant participating in a system in which details are decisive and expectations are constantly at the maximum.
Leicester then gave him the chance to independently lead a senior team in the demanding environment of the Championship. Returning to the Premier League after one season was a strong result, especially because Leicester were expected to react quickly after relegation from the elite. Maresca showed there the ability to set a clear playing identity, although questions arose during the season about adaptation against physically strong and direct opponents. The question of adaptability will be one of the most important if he truly takes over City, because succeeding Guardiola does not mean only preserving an idea but also finding new answers.
The successor does not inherit only a team, but also expectations
The biggest challenge for Maresca, if he is appointed, will not be only tactical. Guardiola created a culture at City in which domestic trophies are expected almost every season, while European success is considered the measure of final confirmation. The new coach will not take over a club under construction, but a system accustomed to domination, a broad squad, top-level analytics, stable sporting infrastructure and global pressure. Such a job can be attractive, but also extremely thankless, because every decision will be compared with Guardiola's standard.
At City, Maresca would have the advantage of knowing the internal culture, but also the burden of comparison with the man under whom he learned. Clubs often try to maintain continuity after the departure of a great coach by appointing someone from the same football circle. Such an approach can ease the transition because the players do not have to learn a completely new language of play, but it can also create the danger of excessive reliance on the past. City will have to assess whether they want Maresca as the guardian of Guardiola's legacy or as a coach who, alongside familiar principles, will have enough room for his own evolution.
An important element will also be the composition of the squad. After a long period under Guardiola, some players are entering new phases of their careers, and every coaching change usually opens questions of hierarchy, roles and transfers. The new manager would have to quickly establish authority in a dressing room accustomed to working under one of the most influential coaches of the modern era. Maresca, according to available reports, has support because of his knowledge of the system, but the formal appointment and the first moves in the transfer window would show how ready the club is to invest in a new stage.
City still without official confirmation of Maresca's appointment
Despite numerous reports, it is crucial to emphasize that Manchester City had not officially presented Maresca as Guardiola's successor by 23 May 2026. Sky Sports, in its review of the British press, relayed claims according to which the former Chelsea coach is the expected choice, while other media, including TEAMtalk, FootballTransfers, GiveMeSport and City Xtra, wrote about an agreement or agreement in principle. Such formulations point to a high level of conviction in the media space, but they do not replace an official club announcement. In football, even advanced negotiations can change before a signature, especially when it comes to a job of this importance.
For the public, it is therefore most precise to say that Maresca is currently the most likely candidate, not the confirmed Manchester City coach. That difference is not a formality. Clubs of this level usually carefully time announcements, especially if the end of the season, the farewell of the current coach or an agreement over the coaching staff is still being awaited. If the transition happens, City will probably try to emphasize stability, continuity and Maresca's knowledge of the club, while the public will seek an answer to the question of whether a coach with relatively short independent experience can lead one of the most demanding projects in world football.
What Maresca's appointment would mean for Guardiola's legacy
Maresca's possible arrival would also be a message about how City interprets Guardiola's legacy. Instead of a radical turn toward a coach of a completely different profile, the club would choose a man who has already passed through its football school of thought. That would suggest that the board does not want to break with the model that brought it long-term dominance, but to adapt it to a new period. Maresca would therefore be a continuation of the idea, but not necessarily a guarantee of the same results.
Guardiola's departure, if it is officially concluded after the final match, will open space for a new hierarchy in the Premier League. Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and other competitors will closely watch how quickly City can stabilize the change. At clubs of that level, transition periods are often measured in months, but the consequences can last for years. Maresca, according to available information, could get one of the most desirable, but also one of the toughest jobs in European football: leading a team that no longer has to prove that it can be the best, but that it can remain the best even after the departure of the man who made it a symbol of modern dominance.
Sources:
- Manchester City FC – official announcement on Guardiola's contract extension and trophy record up to November 2024. (link)
- Premier League – report on Guardiola's contract until June 2027 and the context of the 2024 decision. (link)
- Chelsea FC – official announcement on the appointment of Enzo Maresca as Chelsea head coach in 2024. (link)
- Premier League – announcement on Chelsea and Enzo Maresca parting company and a summary of his path through Leicester. (link)
- Manchester City FC – club profile of Enzo Maresca and description of his work with the Elite Development Squad team. (link)
- Sky Sports – review of the British press on the expectation that Maresca will succeed Guardiola at Manchester City. (link)
- Inside World Football – report on Guardiola's confirmation of his departure from Manchester City at the end of the season. (link)
- TEAMtalk – report on Maresca as a candidate and an alleged agreement in principle with Manchester City. (link)