Manchester City are closing in on naming Enzo Maresca as their new manager, with sources confirming to ESPN that the club have agreed the framework of a compensation deal with Chelsea. The Enzo Maresca to Man City move could be made official as early as this week, bringing one of the most hotly anticipated managerial appointments in recent Premier League history to a conclusion.
Enzo Maresca appointment delayed by Chelsea compensation row
City’s hierarchy had wanted to confirm Maresca’s arrival in the week after the Premier League season concluded, but Chelsea threw a spanner in the works. Despite sacking the Italian in January, the Stamford Bridge club demanded a compensation fee — and they are set to pocket more than £10 million for a manager they themselves showed the door. Maresca had joined Chelsea in June 2024 on a five-year deal, making the compensation figure a contentious sticking point throughout negotiations. ESPN first reported the compensation agreement.
Fortunately for City fans, those talks are now edging towards a resolution, and the announcement could land any day now.
Maresca knows the Etihad inside out
This is no blind appointment. Maresca is deeply embedded in City’s DNA. He first arrived at the club in 2020 as head coach of the Elite Development Squad before returning as Pep Guardiola‘s assistant between 2022 and 2023. Guardiola himself departed after a decade at the Etihad at the end of this season — a seismic moment for English football. The fact that City have turned to a man shaped by Guardiola’s methods tells you everything about the direction the club intends to go. BBC Sport has full coverage of the managerial transition.
Beyond the dugout, City are already busy in the transfer market. Sources indicate the club are pursuing Elliot Anderson, the Nottingham Forest midfielder, while Sandro Tonali of Newcastle — also a target for Tottenham — has attracted serious interest. City need reinforcements in the middle of the park after Bernardo Silva left on a free transfer, with question marks also hanging over the futures of Nico González and Tijjani Reijnders.
A new era is taking shape at the Etihad. Maresca has every tool at his disposal — now he just needs to prove he can fill those impossibly large shoes.