From Chelsea to Manchester City: The Enzo Maresca saga

It’s official. Enzo Maresca has finally been confirmed as the new manager of Manchester City.

Soon after, his former employers, Chelsea, issued a statement, mentioning the circumstances under which Maresca left the West London club. Maresca also posted a separate statement on his social media account, issuing an apology to the Chelsea fans.

Here, we take a look at Maresca’s Manchester City connection, the statements issued by him and Chelsea, how things unravelled for him at Stamford Bridge and the repercussions of his departure from there, and lastly, how he might fare at his new club.

The Manchester City connection

Enzo Maresca joined Manchester City as the manager of their Elite Development Squad in 2020. He led them to a Premier League 2 title before leaving in 2021 to join Parma in Serie B. However, he rejoined in 2022 as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola. He was part of the Spaniard’s backroom staff and played a vital role in City’s treble-winning 2022/23 season.

Maresca again left Man City in June 2023, this time for Championship side Leicester City. He got the Foxes promoted at the first time of asking and joined Chelsea the next season. Maresca had a successful first season at Stamford Bridge, winning the UEFA Conference League as well as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, while also ensuring Champions League qualification for the Blues through the Premier League. However, the second season didn’t go as planned, and after an inconsistent and dismal first half, Maresca and Chelsea decided to part ways by mutual consent at the start of this year.

When Guardiola announced in May that he would leave City at the end of the season, Maresca’s return to the Etihad stopped being mere speculation and became imminent; now, it is official.

Statements issued by Maresca and Chelsea and the repercussions of his departure 

When Maresca left Chelsea mid-season, the consensus among the Blues supporters was that there was a disagreement between club management and Maresca that had led to his dismissal, but according to Maresca’s recent Instagram post, that wasn’t the case. 

As per a recent statement issued by Chelsea, Maresca had been approached by Man City in December last year and handed his resignation to the club as he wanted to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad come the end of the 2025/26 season. Chelsea were not pleased with Maresca willing to leave in the middle of the season, causing unnecessary disruption, but decided to part ways feeling there was no point in holding on to a manager whose heart was elsewhere. Chelsea accepted his resignation with an agreement to receive confidential compensation from both Man City and Maresca for his contract termination mid-season.

In his own statement, Maresca accepts that it was his decision to leave mid-season. He also issued an apology to the Chelsea fans for disrupting the campaign. Although the message was later removed from his account, his message, as posted by Sky Sports, reads as follows: 

“The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City. 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.”

When Maresca left Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were in fifth place and well within touching distance of the Champions League. His departure forced Chelsea to bring in an inexperienced Liam Rosenior from sister outfit Strasbourg. However, they let Rosenior go after a few months due to insipid and disjointed performances that showed no sign of improvement as the team drifted down the league table. Chelsea ultimately finished tenth in the table, missing out on another season of European football, which is not becoming of a top English club with a billion-pound squad. 

Will Maresca succeed at Man City?

At Man City, Maresca is replacing the legendary Pep Guardiola, a manager who achieved unbelievable success with the club, dominated the English top flight, won them a historic treble in 2022/23 as well as an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, and impacted the league in ways no one could have imagined.

Maresca definitely has massive shoes to fill, but he has the support of the Man City management. The club also have a top-quality squad and will definitely replace the outgoing players with more top-class talent, with money not really being an issue. Maresca has already managed a big club in Chelsea, so he is aware of the challenges that come with dealing with big players and managing multiple competitions as well as expectations of winning major silverware every season.

That said, although Maresca did fairly well with Chelsea in his first season, helping them qualify for the Champions League and winning the Conference League, his league-winning credentials may still be in doubt. He did win the Championship with Leicester City, but the level of competition in the Premier League is far superior and challenging.

Manchester City are still in transition and need to replace a few more of their experienced players ahead of next season. And while Maresca is a great tactician, he hasn’t yet shown that he is a serial title-winning manager like Guardiola. Even with no dearth of resources at the Etihad, I don’t believe he is capable of replacing Guardiola as a league winner just yet.

Maybe with a couple of seasons under his belt, he could turn Man City into a title-winning team, but for now, doubts prevail. Moreover, Maresca might not have the luxury of time and patience, as the expectations from the Man City hierarchy will be extremely high as well. So, while the Italian has proven to be a good coach and could be great in winning cup competitions, he is yet to show that he is an elite leader who can replicate the massive success Guardiola brought to the Sky Blues.