Manchester City have confirmed Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a three-year contract, the Italian returning to the club where he served as assistant to Pep Guardiola. City paid Chelsea £17m in compensation for their former head coach, and Maresca also agreed a personal settlement with the west London club, apologising for the impact of his departure at the start of the year.
Maresca's journey back to City
Maresca, 46, was part of Guardiola's coaching staff during the 2022-23 treble-winning season, which included Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles. He then led Leicester to promotion to the Premier League in 2024 and subsequently took charge at Chelsea, where he won the Conference League and the inaugural Club World Cup in 2025. However, his tenure at Stamford Bridge ended abruptly on 1 January after he informed Chelsea of talks with City over replacing Guardiola.
Chelsea stated that Maresca's resignation "was a major contributing factor" to their poor campaign. Maresca said: "I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish."
Compensation and settlement details
A Chelsea statement read: "No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. 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."
City tracked Maresca's progress at Leicester and Chelsea, seeing his style of play aligned with their philosophy. He was identified as the No 1 target to succeed Guardiola, who won 20 major trophies in 10 years, including six Premier League titles.
Maresca's vision for City
Maresca said: "Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me. 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."
He added: "This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations. The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special, and I want to thank them for showing faith in my ability. I cannot wait to start coaching the players. I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City."
Current squad and upcoming fixtures
Maresca takes over a City side that has gone two seasons without a Premier League title and recently lost Bernardo Silva and John Stones. However, the squad remains strong, and Elliot Anderson's £116m move from Nottingham Forest is expected to be confirmed soon.
City chair Khaldoon al-Mubarak said: "Enzo is someone who has always sought out opportunities to challenge himself and succeed in his managerial career. He brings a personality, passion and intelligence completely aligned to our needs."
Maresca will first take charge on 1 August against Inter in a pre-season tour in South Korea. His first major game will be the Community Shield on 16 August against Arsenal, followed by the league opener at home to Bournemouth.
