Man City: Why would Enzo Maresca be the right man to replace Pep Guardiola?

Enzo Maresca appears set to succeed Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.

The 46-year-old Italian is reportedly in advanced talks to take over from Guardiola, whose 10 years at City are ready to come to an end following Sunday’s final game of the season against Aston Villa.

Here, the Press Association looks at whether former Chelsea boss Maresca is the right fit for City and what are the challenges heading his way at the Etihad Stadium.

After a playing career as a midfielder that began at West Brom and stopped off in Italy, Spain and Greece, Maresca spent 18 months as one of Manuel Pellegrini’s assistant managers at West Ham until December 2019.

He was appointed manager of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad in August 2020, winning the Premier League 2 title before a short-lived spell in charge of Italian Serie B club Parma.

Yes. Maresca returned as Guardiola’s assistant for the 2022-23 season.

It would prove to be a historic campaign as City won the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

But Maresca did not hang around in Manchester and became manager of Championship club Leicester in June 2023.

Maresca led Leicester to the Championship title, overcoming a mid-season wobble to hold off Ipswich by one point.

A month later, he was on his way to Chelsea after signing a five-year deal as head coach with an option to extend for a further year.

Chelsea’s fast start under Maresca saw them labelled title contenders, but a young Blues side eventually fell away to finish fourth.

Silverware came in the Conference League and the summer’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, with the future looking bright at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca’s 18 months in charge came to an end on New Year’s Day 2026 with the club