Enzo Maresca breaks silence on Man City rumours
12 May 2026 07:14 BST |
4 min read
Enzo Maresca insists that he “feels ready for the next chapter” following his departure from Chelsea by mutual consent on New Year’s Day.
The Italian guided Chelsea to Europa Conference League and Club World Cup glory during his debut season at the helm last year, while he also secured Champions League qualification for the first time since 2022.
However, tensions with the club’s hierarchy grew after being denied the chance to sign a suitable replacement for Levi Colwill after the Englishman’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in August, and he subsequently initiated early talks with Juventus and Manchester City.
Upon revealing this to the Chelsea board, Maresca’s position at the club soon became untenable and after only one win in his final seven Premier League games in charge, he left Stamford Bridge on 1 January.
While his successor Liam Rosenior has already been sacked by the Blues, Maresca remains on the market and he has been widely tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City if the legendary Spaniard opts to leave the Etihad Stadium following the conclusion of this season.
The 46-year-old was Guardiola’s assistant manager during Man City’s treble-winning campaign in 2022-23 and he is the clear frontrunner for the main job ahead of this summer.
During an appearance on Sky Sport Italia, Maresca confirmed that he plans to return to management this summer, while he also refused to brush off links with Man City entirely.
Enzo Maresca breaks silence on Man City interest
“I feel ready for the next chapter, that is the most important thing,” Maresca admitted (via Football Italia).
When asked specifically about a possible move back to Man City, he added: “What matters, regardless of the club, is being ready. There are only a few weeks left until the end of the season, then we’ll see what happens.”
Maresca, who guided Leicester City to the Championship title before joining Chelsea in 2024, has a 60% win rate during his senior management career to date and a move to Man City is expected to be finalised if Guardiola departs.
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