It's official: Enzo Maresca is Manchester City's new manager. The former Chelsea manager has signed a three-year contract that will keep him with the club until 2029. The Italian manager will have to take over for Pep Guardiola, who departed the club after 10 spectacular seasons and numerous trophies, including the English club's historic first Champions League triumph in 2022-23. According to sources from across the Channel, the Manchester club had to pay the Blues a record £17 million to break the deadlock. Maresca's transfer offers a return to an environment he is familiar with, having previously led City's Elite Development Squad (Under-23s) and served as assistant manager. The coach made no secret of his excitement for this new adventure, describing it as an exceptional chance and applauding the club's efficiency, inventiveness, and planning, which he believes are excellent for working with the necessary steadiness. He also stressed the club's strong ties to the community, expressed awareness of the club's ambitious goals, and thanked the management for their trust.
Behind the smiles of his unveiling, however, lies a transfer saga. Chelsea, which terminated their contract with Maresca on January 1, 2026, after the manager expressed his intention to depart following a draw with Bournemouth, issued a critical statement to address the situation. The London club admits that last season was particularly unsatisfactory for fans, blaming the upheaval caused by a change in management over the Christmas break as the primary reason. According to the Blues' reconstruction, Maresca alerted management of the potential of succeeding Guardiola at the end of the season, stating unequivocally that he would embrace the opportunity despite a long-term contract that he could not terminate. Faced with the manager's refusal to continue his duties until the summer, Chelsea explained that they had no choice but to accept his resignation in order to protect the team and the club, expressing deep disappointment that their manager's mind and heart were already elsewhere after only one year in London. In the same statement, Chelsea verified the existence of a confidential agreement with Manchester City for the payment of the compensation, as well as with Maresca himself, who will be required to pay additional compensation from his own purse. The Blues' strong stance has not gone unnoticed. Maresca issued an official statement via Instagram shortly after the statement was made. The Italian manager stood firm in his choice, emphasizing that his departure from London was the consequence of his own decision, rather than being driven by City's best interests. While admitting that his mid-season resignation had unavoidably caused disruption—and publicly apologizing for what he called unintentional damage—Maresca insisted that the end of his relationship with Chelsea simply paved the way for him to accept the offer from a club he already knew well.